


The Necromancer Who Loved Her

by ZombieOutlaw



Category: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Circus, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-19
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-09-09 16:59:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 71,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8900461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZombieOutlaw/pseuds/ZombieOutlaw
Summary: The story of the girl with fire in her hands and the necromancer who loved her.
Enoch x Olive (Enolive) - Circus/Freak Show AU.
MOVIEVERSE (as much as it pains me to diverge from the books).





	1. Prologue: A Bunch of Freaks

One would assume that being sold to a travelling circus at the tender age of 16 would ruin a girl as pristine as Olive Elephanta. A circus was not a place for such a delicate flower. Being on the road all year, travelling from city to city, was not suitable for a child. Yet, Olive was determined from the moment she arrived to take this in her stride. She did, after all, belong there as much as the others.

Having fire in her hands made her one of them. People were scared of her, of the destruction she caused. Her own parents forced her there out of fear - their own daughter, all because she was different.

But so were they.

There was a boy not much younger than herself who could predict the future through dreams. Horace was a bit pompous for her taste but he was a nice boy nonetheless and more importantly, he knew how to draw a crowd. The audience would flock to his decadently decorated tent to hear his marvellous predictions - if not his wonderful taste in clothes. He would talk forever to anyone who would listen, whether that was the public or cast mate, which would have driven them all crazy if it wasn't for the amount of pennies he drew in. She never did ask him how he came to be in their peculiar band but she suspected from his clearly rich upbringing that it was more tragic than her own reasons.

Little Claire was a delight to be around and brought joy to whoever she was with. She was not yet allowed on stage being as young as she was but she was allowed to be with them anyway as no one else would have her. It saddened Olive to think that the world could be so cruel to a girl as lovely as Claire. The child was not a danger to anyone, her peculiarity was hidden but she was cast out of society regardless. She was just odd - a freak like all of them - and people hated her for it.

Bronwyn could hold Olive over her head all day if she was allowed. For a girl as small as she was, it was a wonder that she could hold up anything heavier than a suitcase but somehow she managed it. Her equally as powerful older brother, Victor, joined her on stage each night and the two of them amazed with their strength. Olive was told when she joined not to ask questions about why the siblings were with them which intrigued her, but she had heard enough rumours involving an accident and a death to not want to seek answers.

You could always tell Hugh was near by the sudden presence of bees buzzing in the air. She didn't know whether his infestation was magic or whether he just swallowed a load of bees one day and they started to grow inside of him. Olive was only just getting used to the persistent buzzing that followed him around, which was precisely the reason he was given a role in the crew. Occasionally, he was allowed on stage for the briefest of moments, especially when the crowd was being particularly harsh but otherwise he was cooped up backstage doing some heavy lifting. His peculiarity was as annoying as it was wonderful, and they needed paying happy customers not agitated ones.

Fiona, when she was not hovering around Hugh like one of his bees, usually positioned herself out of the tent, marvelling the audience members with her powers over the earth. She never spoke much, but Hugh had told her that she was chased out of her town out of fear of her being a witch. She was safe now, not many suspected her to be a witch anymore. Most people claimed her powers were a hoax, just a series of pulleys and wires all to get ignorant members of the public to cough up money to see more. Her reputation as a con artist was not an issue to her though, people paid anyway. 

The star of the show was Emma - the girl who could fly away - who had become a quick friend to Olive. She was talkative, fiery, and quite simply enthralling. People came from all over the country just to see her. They didn't care if it was trick or real, Emma gave such a performance that it didn't make a difference. If she didn't have her abilities, Olive was sure people would still have paid just to see her. Some people just had it, and Emma was definitely one of them.

Miss Peregrine was their leader and the namesake of their circus. She was as loving as she was stern, keeping the children inline while also giving them the feeling of a mother who cared for them. Olive would never be able to repay the kindness she had shown her. Taking her away from the family that was scared of her, giving her food and shelter when she needed it the most, introducing her to a new family who loved her.

And then there was Enoch.

Olive had been with them a year and so far she'd only managed to get a few words out of the boy that weren't insults (not for lack of trying). He was crew, on strict orders not to talk to the public so as to not scare them off. To put it politely, Enoch was pessimistic. It was a running joke that at any given moment, at least one member of their trope was annoyed at Enoch. He was far from a people person. But that was exactly why Olive was drawn to him. He was an enigma. One she was so desperate to solve.

It was common knowledge that he fancied Emma. Everyone teased him about it which was met with curt replies that only confirmed their theories. Olive had caught him staring at her a few times as the blonde girl performed and had to remind her self that the ache in her chest was just from nerves and not jealousy. He was not hers and never would be.

But that didn't mean she couldn't be his friend.


	2. Of Elephants and Cake

Life in a travelling show was as hectic as you'd assume. Olive rose with the sun, got ready every morning with little to no running water, and had a list of chores to do before she even thought of grabbing some breakfast. It was hard work, but someone had to do it, everyone had to muck in to keep things running.

Early on in her stay with the group, Miss Peregrine had discovered her skill with the younger children so her first job every morning was taking care of getting little Claire ready for the day. As jobs went, it was one of the better ones around the campground; Olive never was envious of the boys - usually Enoch, Victor and Hugh as Horace somehow managed to get away with making himself scarce almost every morning - hauling things around in the cold, brisk morning air. Their cheeks were always rosy by the time they came back inside and Enoch, on the odd occasion, had a few stings that he immediately tended to from where Hugh had decided to punish his ill-behaviour.

Claire was more chipper than usual that morning which surprised Olive. Normally, waking the girl up from her slumber was quite a hard task and getting her out of bed was even harder. The second she had managed to wake her up, she abruptly began squabbling about her favourite type of cakes.

"What are you on about, Claire?" Olive muttered out of confusion as she pulled the girls hair out of her eyes and tied it.

"Miss Peregrine said the mayor's wife is coming today so we can buy a cake!"

"Oh well that's lovely."

It was something to get excited over. Rich and respectable people coming to watch the show meant more money and more guests which in turn led to more food. They didn't get many treats, all their money went on travel expenses and repairs to the equipment so the idea of having cake was something to smile about.

Claire immediately started asking about her favourite type of cake which Olive was more than happy to return her enthusiasm. She didn't mind indulging Claire in her fantasies, in someways they kept her as entertained as they did the young girl.

The precise moment she chose to finish dreaming about cakes and step out of the caravan shared by Claire and Bronwyn, she was cornered by the ever punctual Miss Peregrine.

"Olive, be a dear and go ask Enoch to get the elephant out. We need to put on a show tonight!"

As quickly as she appeared, Miss Peregrine flew off to attend to the next job of the day leaving Olive to slowly make her way over to the big top tent in search for the grouchy stagehand.

She'd been trying to talk to Enoch properly for weeks now but so far had been unsuccessful. He was going to be her friend, she was determined to make it happen - everyone deserved at least one friend, even Enoch. He was always so lonely, always alone tending to his numerous creations. She hated to see anyone that isolated and she was determined to change that.

...It didn't at all have anything to do with the fact she found him attractive.

Walking into the large open tent, she immediately called out for him not willing to walk around backstage with all his creations without him to guide her. While Enoch's work was amazing, some of the things he created could only be described as creepy.

When he didn't reply after a few seconds, Olive ventured forward to the side of the stage. Cautiously, she peaked round the corner and saw him, crouched over his latest creation, his brows furrowed together in concentration.

Admittedly, she stayed there longer than she should have done, admiring the dark haired boy at work. To have skills like his, both of the practical and magical variety, must have been wonderful. His peculiarity wasn't at all as dangerous as her's; whereas she was destruction, he could give life. It amazed her every time she saw it happen.

It surprised her that Enoch never got much attention from the opposite sex. He was quite handsome after all but she supposed his rotten attitude scared anyone from even trying to pursue a relationship with him. Even Olive, one of the few members of the company able to stand Enoch and his negativity, could understand why Emma had not returned the feelings Enoch obviously held for her.

The feeling of his eyes on her prompted her to straighten suddenly. Enoch was looking up from his work, clearly annoyed at being disrupted, and was glaring straight at her. Her cheeks were glowing as red as her hair and the movement of his eyes towards them confirmed that he had noticed her state of embarrassment.

"Do you need any help?" Olive stuttered, pretending that he probably hadn't grasped that she had been there an abnormally long time.

He didn't answer her question, choosing instead to throw down his tools and stood up to meet her. Immediately she felt out of place, she was an intruder, she didn't belong here. This was his space, and it was sacred.

"Shouldn't you be off setting something fire? What do you want?" Enoch snapped at her, steadily striding towards her in a way that was meant to intimidate.

Part of her wanted to run away right that second. He didn't want her there, that much was clear. But she was there for a reason (well two technically) and she wasn't going to leave before she at least relayed Miss Peregrine's message.

"Must you always be so mean?" Her arms crossed across her chest, hoping to find some strength from such a defensive move. His intense stare was beginning to bore into her and Olive began to realise the true meaning of 'if looks could kill'.

"Yes."

"Well, it's not very nice." She replied quietly.

Her response made the dark natured boy scoff. Of course it wasn't very nice - that was the whole point.

Olive could sense the mood had lightened slightly from her obvious remark, which dared her to speak again. "Miss Peregrine wants an elephant for tonight - Claire said something about the mayoress coming."

"Oh we must put on quite the show for someone as prestigious as that." His sarcasm cut through the cold air like a bullet as he shifted uncomfortably on his feet, still trying to make her disappear by his stern look.

"Do you take pleasure in being so negative all the time?"

"Oh sod off." Enoch grumbled at her. His arms flew up a little to shoo her away, displaying more emotion in one sentence that she'd seen the entire time she'd been with the company.

She should have given up on him but she was resilient on becoming his friend. She had a good mind to leave him there and then and she went as far as to turn quickly to leave. If he wasn't going to play nice, she wasn't going to play at all.

Instead of walking out of that place she stopped mid-stride, turned back on her heels and looked up at him hopefully. "Claire says there's going to be cake tonight. Isn't that exciting?"

"Hmmm...Very."

She could only just make out his disinterested reply as he walked back towards his work, clearly done with the conversation - and with her.

Huffing, Olive marched out of the tent, passing Bronwyn at the door carrying more chairs than was natural, and away from his company. She couldn't understand how anyone could be so rude all the time. It's not like she deserved it, she was only trying to make conversation with him but he acted like she was there purely to antagonise him.

If he was going to be like that, maybe she didn't want to be his friend.


	3. Of Kindness and Progress

Another night, another show complete and a party was in full swing at in the big mess tent. The room was buzzing with excitement yet Olive could not put on finger on what they were celebrating. Miss Peregrine was in an uncharacteristically jovial mood and had treated them all not only to cake but to mulled wine, pastries, and other goodies purchased from the local bakery. She had even let them put a dusty record or two on that she had pulled out from her old collection. There was much speculation floating around the tent as to what their sudden indulgence was for - Hugh joked that Miss Peregrine had finally found a man, Emma was of the opinion that they had taken in more ticket sales that usual, and Horace was no help at all claiming that the only thing he had seen in his dreams was Miss Peregrine talking to an empty room.

Maybe it was the festive atmosphere, or possibly the mulled wine which made Olive not think about her hopefully soon-to-be friend but the moment she heard his name mentioned in passing while conversing with Hugh and Fiona (well, Hugh mostly), her eyes began searching the tent for him. It was ample opportunity to get a real conversation with him, surely he'd a least had a sip of the wine and had loosen up enough to not insult her every sentence? Olive would have expected him to be stood in the corner, looking uncomfortable and quietly enjoying the rare food that was on offer to him but he was no where to be seen.

Enoch had never been one for parties but there was no more people than usual, it was just a little bit merrier than normal. She thought it wasn't a good enough explanation for his non-attendance and her mind had begun to wander the real reason behind it. Was he ill? Was he upset about something? Had Hugh's teasing gone too far?

Abruptly, she was removed from her thoughts by Hugh laughing at one of his own jokes and unexpectedly expelling a swarm of bees around their heads. Swatting a few of the flying creatures away from her, she spotted Emma across the tent and made an excuse for herself and quickly made her escape from Hugh's bad puns.

Emma was hovering around the buffet table, looking as airy as ever, lost deep in thought presumably about what she would eat next. Finally deciding on taking one of the danishes laid out in a decadent pattern on a tray, Emma reached forward a little too enthusiastically towards the food, catching Olive's eyes as she approached her. A cheeky grin spread across her face before she took a bite of the item, savouring every taste.

"Where's Enoch?" Olive asked when she reached the girl's side. Perhaps she should have been a little more discreet about asking questions directly about Enoch but something about the blondes glowing features and cheerful demeanour suggested to Olive that she would avoid Emma's suspicions that night.

Bobbing her head to the music, Emma's eyebrows shot up in surprise - no one asked after Enoch, ever. "Outside sulking somewhere probably, why?"

Chewing on her lip, Olive glanced around the room out of awkwardness. Horace was tucked away in the corner of the room, exquisitely dressed in a full three-piece suit, and chatting away to a bored looking Victor about the accuracy of horoscopes. The whole image would have entertained her greatly if it wasn't for the feeling of possibly being interrogated by Emma for her shady behaviour.

"He's missing everything..."

"Well you know him well enough by now, this is a party - he hates them. They are too alive for him," Emma beamed at her for a moment, giving Olive an opportunity to laugh at her joke however, a lack of a reaction from Olive made her eyes roll. "Oh come on, that was funny!"

While trying to avoid holding eye contact with Emma, Olive's eyes lingered on the Victoria Sponge cake in front of her with only a few pieces left giving her an idea.

"I'm sure he'd at least like some cake. Do you have any idea where he might be?"

"Why do you even try so hard with him, Olive? He's not going to change - once a pessimist, always a pessimist." Emma retorted with a mouthful of pastry. "You sure it's got nothing to do with the fact you lust after his sultry dark looks?"

Olive's eyes went wide in horror but was relieved of her worry when Emma knocked her shoulder into her's with a giggle. Clearly she had meant nothing from it and suspected nothing.

Olive had never really thought of Enoch like that before. She always thought he was handsome, there was no doubt about that, but lusting after him? Surely not. All she wanted was to be his friend, not to kiss him or anything of the sort... Although, the thought of that was not off putting in the slightest. However, the smallest thought about Enoch in that way made all the blood in her body rushed to her face and Olive was certain if Emma wasn't already suspicious, she would be the moment she looked at her face.

"He's lonely-"

"-by choice." Emma interrupted before putting the poor girl out of her misery and finally answered her question. "I think Hugh mentioned something about him going to mope in his place."

-

The cold air tried to bite at her warm skin as she glided across the grass, cake in hand, towards Enoch's trailer. No one that she knew of had been inside of his trailer except for Miss Peregrine so she was apprehensive of what she would find there. She expected there to be hearts - lots of them, and more or less the same layout of hers but there must have been some personal items in there, things he doesn't want to display in public, things he would rather keep to himself. Maybe his trailer would help Olive to unravel some of the mystery that was Enoch O'Connor.

The trailer was slightly out of the way of the others, he always made sure it was every time they moved, and Olive presumed it must be rather isolating for him to be so far away. She understood, as Emma had said, that this was his own doing but the thought of someone hating company that much was rather sad.

When she reached the door to his solemn trailer, Olive stopped for a moment and considered just leaving the cake there and going away without speaking to him. Quickly, she dispelled that notion from her head, reminding herself that if she wanted to be friends with she'd actually have to talk to him.

After taking a deep breath, she raised a rubber covered hand and gave the door a firm knock.

It was a few seconds before she heard any acknowledgement of a presence at the door. Then, just as she was thinking of leaving, a chair was scraped across the floor and there were footsteps coming slowly closer to the door that grew louder every step.

Sensing his trepidation, Olive called out to him. "Enoch, it's just me."

"Again?" He groaned from behind the door, not seeming interested in opening it to anyone let alone her.

"Yes." She started rocking on her feet to distract her from the hostility he was showing and tried to sound as positive as she could. "I've brought cake."

"Erm okay...I don't really like cake."

"Everyone likes cake."

Olive heard him sigh from behind the door and was surprised to hear the locks to his door being turned. The door was cracked open slightly to reveal a confused looking Enoch peering out at her with great apprehension. His hair was dishevelled, sticking out at odd ends like he had been running his hands through it out of frustration, and the bags under his eyes were darker than usual. Something was wrong, she could tell.

"Yeah... alright, you got me. Now hand it here so you can leave."

Stepping out of his trailer slightly, he reached a hand out to hers, waiting to receive the cake she had brought but all Olive could do was stare at his hand like it was a foreign object. It was a small enough gesture, reaching out to someone but coming from him it just seemed...odd.

Olive, realising that she was staring, quickly handed over the food to him, careful not to let her fingers linger too long against his hand.

"Why aren't you at the party? Miss Peregrine is letting the older ones have some wine you know?"

Noticing Olive's eyes dart cautiously behind him to peak a look at his space, Enoch hastily drew the door close behind him before replying. "I don't like parties. Too many people."

"There's just as many people as usual, just a bit more jolly I suppose...Well it must be better than cooped up here all alone."

"It isn't - hence why I chose to coop up here all alone."

Enoch was undoubtedly mocking her, he didn't want her company, and it was clear now to Olive would have gone so far as to say he didn't like her at all. She didn't know what convinced her to continue the conversation but somehow, she wanted to.

"Is it the music? Do you not like loud noises or something?"

"If I didn't like music do you think I'd live in a bloody carnival?" He groaned. Somehow managing to convey his displeasure at her through hardly changing his facial expression.

"Maybe you didn't have a choice." Olive softly suggested - that was her reality, it was very possible that it was his too.

"I'm nearly 18, even if didn't have one, I certainly have now."

"Why not just leave?"

"You ask way too many questions." Enoch muttered, taking hold of the door handle behind him and hoping Olive got the message that he wished for her to leave him be. However, the red-head stood resilient.

"I'm just trying to be friendly." Olive retorted softly. There was a timidness about her which radiated through her words despite the confidence she was displaying.

"Yeah well, maybe I don't want a friend."

"Well that's a very cynical thing to say."

"I'm a cynical person... And you're annoying so please leave." His voice was raised slightly now, his cold disposition lost as he began snapping at her.

"You know being nice every now and then, it won't kill you." She tried to sound jokingly, attempting to lighten the mood a little, however it came out very half-heartedly. She knew it was a stab in the dark but she was willing to try it.

The jovial mood was lost on Enoch as he glared at her like she was vermin. "Debatable. I hope I never get to find out."

Olive was beginning to lose her temper with him now. He was being insufferable, an absolute swine, and all of it because she was trying to be nice to him. "How do you live being so negative?"

"Bye, now." He forced a sarcastic smile which antagonised her more than she would like to admit.

She hoped he'd choke on that cake.

Angrily, Olive let out a unexpected squeak and stormed off into the cold night air without giving him a goodbye.

"Hey, Olive."

Throwing her arms down to her sides in protest, she spun around to face him again. "Enoch, if you're just going to insult me again I swear-"

"-thank you. For the cake, I mean."

He nodded and raised his hand in gesture of the cake before turning to open the door and disappeared into his reclusive trailer.

Olive was left staring at the empty space he had just occupied, confused at what had just occurred. Enoch O'Connor had thanked her. As in he actually thought to use his manners - he was being nice. A smile appeared on her face and a feeling of promise grew inside her as she congratulated herself on making progresses on getting through to him even if it was something as menial as using some manners.

Maybe there was still hope for their friendship.


	4. Of Letters and Splinters

Popping the collar on his coat, Enoch O'Connor stepped out of the post office into the brisk winter air, determined to return back to the campground as quickly as possible. It was well into November and the sleepy Welsh town they were currently stationed was almost entirely covered in a sheet of frost which crunched satisfyingly underneath his feet as he walked on the narrow pavement. He could feel the hateful glares of the townsfolk as he passed them and, while he knew it was probably his imagination exaggerating things, it took everything in his power not to snap at one of them for looking at him the wrong way. Whether it was an hostility towards his intensely negative aura, or just a general distaste towards circus folk, Enoch did not feel anything close to a warm welcome from the town.

Miss Peregrine had cast a skeptical look when the young man had offered to run into town for her after breakfast that morning. He couldn't tolerate all the bothersome people in town, the dreadful small talk, the false smiles; he hated people, and they hated him back. Enoch was not polite - ever, and couldn't usually be trusted with town errands for fear he might scare off whoever he needed to speak to with his bad manners. Assuring his guardian that he would actual try to be tolerable enough to get the jobs done, he was allowed to relieve Horace of his daily walk into town to collect various foods and items.

That morning was quite a success, even to Enoch's standards. He'd managed to avoided getting into a fight with the mouth-breathing butcher over the price of his cuts, mumbled his way through picking up some items from the local tailor, and had even suffered through the elderly woman behind the counter at the florist unmistakably flirting with him as he tried to place an order for later on in the week. Finishing with plenty of time before he would be expected back, Enoch had successfully created enough time to take a detour to the post office to take care of some personal matters.

Truth be told he had a reason for going into town that morning. Miss Peregrine had sussed it the moment he offered, Horace knew when he told him not to bother going out, and Olive's watchful gaze on him as he left was unmissable. He needed to send a letter, one he had written and rewritten what seemed like hundreds of times over the night before, one that carried more importance than just niceties and news. It was critical that he sent it, the receiver deserved to know what he had to say.

It didn't take him too long to return to the grounds where he was quickly met by Fiona silently shuffling over to him to take the food he had bought and hurried out of sight presumably over to the kitchen. Miss Peregrine just smiled at him when he handed her the clothes and left over change, she was one of the few people that liked him and his negative way of being. Ideally, he'd sneak over to behind the stage and stay there for the rest of the day, feverishly working on his next project and not see another soul for hours. However, the moment he stepped into the tent, his dreams were quickly destroyed.

"You went into town?"

Olive.

The voice coming from behind him was instantly recognisable.

He let out an audible groan as he turned around to meet her warm gaze, subjecting her to his infamous death glare. Usually, he enjoyed looking at Olive, something about her was enchanting to him, so much so he often found himself stealing glances at her at any given opportunities. However, her presence was not appreciated at that current time, he didn't want to talk to anyone, especially someone as inquisitive as Olive.

"What about it?" He grumbled.

Even Enoch was surprised at how bitter his reply sounded. Olive asked too many questions. Too many questions that he was not prepared to answer - to anyone. She wanted too much from him, more than he was prepared to give, and was relentless in her pursuit of answers.

Unexpectedly, her expression did not falter and she continued to hold eye contact with him, clearly his sharp manner did not seem to wither her spirits . "You never go."

He pretended that he did not notice the soft exposed skin of her neck or how her hair fell slightly over her eyes as she tilted her head to one side.

Looking around the tent, he rushed to find something to keep him occupied, to distract him from her interrogation. "I'm not justifying my actions to you."

"I never asked." Olive took a step closer to him, her gloved hands started to fidget as she began to question her own actions.

"You were going to." He glanced over to her and the sheepish look growing on her face confirmed his theory. "Why are you trying so much Olive? It's annoying"

"I think you need a friend."

Enoch frowned at her forwardness and started to walk further into the labyrinth that was back stage, anxious to escape the girl and her piercing eyes.

The closest he'd ever had to a friend in his life was the corpses in his family's shop and he certainly wasn't looking to gain one anytime soon. Enoch supposed he would call Victor a friend, the two talked, they used to share a trailer when they were younger meaning he knew more than he'd like about the guy but they never were that close.

"What I mean is - something is wrong with you at the moment and I though someone should at least be nice to you." The confidence in her voice began to wither but Enoch was unsure whether this was due to the growing awkwardness of the situation or her rushing to keep up with his long strides.

"I don't want you to."

She reached and grabbed his arm to stop him from going any further, and yanked him round to face her. The heat radiating through his clothes from her hands started warming the skin underneath making him shiver. He was reminded of how dangerous she was, what damage she could potentially do, how she could kill him in seconds if she so wished, and yet it felt surprisingly satisfying.

"A lot of people don't want things that can help them."

He could tell from the look on her face how much she wanted this - to be his friend, to be nice to him. It seemed foreign to him that someone would go to so much trouble just for him, he certainly didn't deserve it. She was an annoyingly good person, too good, and Enoch couldn't help but stare at her like she was an alien creature.

For some reason he found her more irritating than the rest of their little family combined. More so than when Hugh or Horace would jokingly tease him about fancying Emma because of that one comment he made to Victor years ago about having a little crush on her when he was eight. More annoying than Claire's excessive whining whenever he refused to play with her. Something about her in particular made his blood boil.

Suddenly, as if his brain advanced up gear, he went into overdrive, tearing himself out of her grasp and began frantically to move around some wood Miss Peregrine had asked him to clear up days ago.

"Just leave me alone, Olive." He grunted, throwing pieces of wood from one place to another like his life depended on it.

"No." Her voice held strong, almost making him flinch with how resolute she sounded.No wonder she was good with the children - she had a great tone for discipling.

Feeling like a naughty schoolboy, the pieces of wood began to fall on the floor with a loud thump, hoping to scare her off from his rage. Enoch was unsure why he was so worked up - he didn't want her there, he knew that, and yet somehow she made him remorseful for thinking that way. If it was anyone else he was sure he would have kept his cool, but no, it was Olive with her fire and her constant stream of questions.

And then, almost as if the universe was punishing him itself for his temper, he threw a piece of wood to the floor a little too awkwardly causing a burning tingle in his hand. The familiar stinging sensation of a flake of wood piercing his skin was undeniable.

"Shit." Enoch murmured under his breath, quickly looking at his palm where he was beginning to draw blood. The wood had caught him rather nastily.

"What is it?"

"It's nothing... just a splinter" He muttered, careful to shield his hand from her but from the concerned look on her face, he predicted he had been unsuccessful.

"That doesn't look like 'just a splinter' to me - you're bleeding."

Despite the blood, it didn't hurt, just stung in that annoying way splinters did.

"I can see that." He deadpanned.

"Come with me." Olive spun to leave, expecting him to follow her but when she glanced back a few metres later, he was still glued to the spot. "Now."

Automatically, her stern voice made him follow her without a second thought. Somehow, the innocent, immaculate girl scared him, and it wasn't because of the fire in her hands. 

She lead him towards her trailer, occasionally looking back to check if he was still following her. Once they arrived, she motioned for him to wait outside as she went in to retrieve whatever she was looking for. Standing there as awkwardly as a someone meeting their partner's parents for the first time, Enoch felt his campmates eyes on him, their heads filled with questions about what the two were up to. He was certain that there were going to rumours about them, especially in regards to their relationship status, which was something else for him to grumble about later. Yet, somehow he believed (and hoped) this will finally put an end to all the jokes about him having a crush on Emma when they were little.

Triumphant in her search, Olive returned with a first aid kit and he realised his hand was in for a full examination. It was only a splinter, all he needed was a pair of tweezers and he would have been good to go; Olive was making a big deal over nothing.

"I'm fine-" Enoch tried to persuade her, only to be cut off by her rigid tone.

"-sit." She placed a stool down in front of him and pointed at it, determined to glare at him until he followed her orders which didn't take long. No wonder she was good with dealing with the little kids, she compelled Enoch to do as he was told in a matter of seconds.

Standing over him to ensure that he didn't escape, she began to root around in the bag, looking for something to remove the tiny piece of wood from his hand. "Honestly, if you weren't in a strop throwing pieces off wood around this wouldn't have happened."

Whether it was Olive's words or his own reflection on the events, Enoch felt apologetic towards his previous actions. He had been riled up, angry at something he couldn't control and took it out on Olive (and some wood) just because she happened to be there. It wasn't fair - yes she was being irritating, but snapping at her was not the way to deal with it. 

"I was annoyed." His voice had soften slightly having almost completely cooled off from his rage. It had been accumulating for sometime now and it felt nice to get it out of his system, but that didn't mean he was going to start getting all friendly with her - she was still rather annoying after all.

"I could see that." He saw her glance at him tentatively, questioning whether she should press the matter even further. "Sorry."

Her apology had taken Enoch by surprise, if anyone needed to apologise here it was him. "What you sorry for?"

"Annoying you..." She sighed, finally pulling a pair of tweezes from her bag after looking for them for quite a while. It was clear she was one of those people who would apologise for someone else bumping into them, but he could tell she felt bad about the whole ordeal and, even though he didn't agree with her need to apologise, he appreciated it.

"You don't need to apologise, I get annoyed at most people."

Olive smiled at him amusedly before drawing up a chair in front of him, dropped the bag next to it and sat down gesturing to him to let her take a look at him. Rolling up his coat sleeves to give her better access, he reluctantly presented his palm to her which had fortunately stopped bleeding. Taking it in her gloved ones, Olive cradled his hand like it was a precious jewel, careful not to hurt him further. He was uncomfortable, the feeling of someone else touching was strange to him, it didn't normally happen, yet he sat through it determined to get this over and done with as quickly as possible.

As she started to try and remove the wood with the tweezers, Enoch began to wonder how hard it was to handle such delicate tools while wearing a thick pair of gloves. They must have been uncomfortable and hard to function with. Against his nature, he decided to question the girl on the matter.

"Do you ever take them off - the gloves?"

His question surprised her. Olive certainly wasn't expecting him to be interested in her life - at all, especially after he'd made quite the show getting angry at her for doing the same thing. Her reply was distant. "Not really, just to use my power, and you know - washing and stuff."

"Can you not control - "

Enoch was interrupted when he felt the sweet relief of the object being removed from his body as Olive grinned at him victoriously, holding up the tweezer and showing him the culprit. She was right, it was more than just a splinter - it was at least 2 inches of a thin piece of wood. Enoch let a rare smirk grow on his face at the proudness she displayed at being right, strangely he found himself being quite amused.

She precariously reached down to search the bag once again, still holding his hand as she did so and he instinctively found himself flipping his hand over and grasping it, cautious not to let her fall. His body's natural reactions felt odd, but he didn't question them until afterwards, he was only trying to stop her from falling after all. When she came back up with a bottle in her hand, he quickly turned his palm to face her as he became aware of the redness his cheeks had started to develop from his unconscious movement.

Luckily, sensing an awkward undertone growing in the conversation, Olive answered his question, staring at his wound which Enoch sensed was to an effort to avoid looking at him. "I haven't really tried...When all this started, I did try to find something that could stop me as quickly as I could. Didn't manage it fast enough though. I remember one night about a couple of weeks before I arrived here - this may sting a little -" She referred to the bottle of iodine she was going to use on him before continuing, "I burnt my bed to a crisp one night and my mum got burnt on her hands the next day from trying to calm me down. The burns were that deep she was in hospital for the best part of a week...It didn't take long for my parents to pay somebody to take me off of their hands."

He stared at her, admiring her honesty as she poured the substance over his palm. It must have been awful being scared of your own power. Sometime he frightened himself with what he could do to the dead or the things he makes, but he'd never been frightened that he would harm someone because of it. His creations did what he told them to do, he could protect the people he loved, not kill them.

It was obvious that she had told him something she wouldn't just say in casual conversation. Enoch had no idea why she wanted to share it with him of all people, he was a grouch, and a mean one at that. He could tell from how her brow had furrowed during her anecdote that it was took a lot for her to share that with him, and he couldn't help but feel honoured that she had chosen him. It felt alien to him, but he sensed the need to share something with her too.

"My parent's were scared of me too. My dad used to lock me up in the basement until I promised to stop playing with the dead people...I never did." He quietly confided to her, unsure of how she would respond. This was new territory to Enoch and he wasn't sure whether or not he liked it. Luckily, Olive didn't seem to mind that he wanted to convey something to her and Enoch couldn't help but notice the small smile that appeared on her face at his reference to his stubbornness. She was rather beautiful when she smiled.

Pulling out the bandage she had placed in her lap earlier, she started to dress his wound which Enoch would have argued was unnecessarily if he wasn't distracted by staring at her. "Did you get sent away too?"

Part of him wanted to get angry at her again for asking questions but he managed to rein it in choosing instead to force out an answer. "I ran."

"Oh." Her brows furrowed once more as she digested the information, carefully tying the bandage as she did so. When she was finished, she beamed up at him once more with bright eyes. "All done! I'm no doctor but I think you're going to live."

Enoch felt cold the moment she dropped his hand from her warm ones and strangely felt himself craving her warmth again. He wasn't quite sure what to think at that moment, one second he was shouting at her, the next her was finding her company comforting. All he knew was he spent a long time staring at the girl he would have sworn he hated only hours previously. He knew she wanted him to stay around and talk a bit more but he need to think, to ponder what on earth was going on with him, and he need to do it where she wasn't there to distract him. Hastily saying his thanks, he got up from the chair and took his leave, leaving the red head girl watching him as he went.

As he strode away to go confine himself backstage with his work, Enoch couldn't help producing a slight smile which was very noticeable on his usual monotonous face. He supposed she wasn't too bad company when she wasn't badgering him with unwanted questions. She was nice, funny even, and was much more interesting than the majority of people he met. He'd even go as far to say he enjoyed the time he spent with her.


	5. Of Arrivals and Misunderstandings

There was an air of excitement in the mess tent the next morning, mainly due to the uncharacteristic absence of Miss Peregrine from the head of the table but Olive sensed some of the mood was rooted in childish chatter regarding the relationship status of her and a certain stagehand. Living in a traveling show was surprisingly mundane so any scrap of gossip was quickly spread around the camp like wildfire and it was apparent that her friends had found her encounter with Enoch the day before something to discuss. 

They were seen together for only a few minutes and already there were rumours flying around. Claire had asked her that morning when she was getting her ready whether Enoch and her were going to get married which had made Olive chuckle. Horace had made a comment when she came for breakfast about watching out for them in his dreams. Emma had nudged her slightly when she took her usual place next to her at the breakfast table, cheerfully smirking at her in recognition that she was aware there was no truth to the rumours but still found the ordeal amusing. It was all in good jest, so Olive did not find the ordeal terribly awkward but there was a sense that after a few days of this, it would become extremely annoying.

Movement from the entrance caught everyones' eyes and the whole of the tent found themselves turning around to catch a glimpse of who they expected to be Miss Peregrine coming into the tent. Their suspicions were incorrect and, instead of their incisive looking guardian, Enoch trudged through the doorway, looking more grumpy than ever like he had just woken up. Throwing a cutting glare at all who were staring at him, he lumbered over to the kitchenette area to grab a plate. It wasn't difficult for Olive realise that he had not got much sleep the night before from the heavy appearance of his eyes and the general grogginess that was apparent from his sluggish movements. While the others went back to what they were doing previously, Olive's eyes followed his movements, desperate to ask him what was bothering him so deeply that he had trouble sleeping over. She was not tempted to do so though, he'd made it very clear that her questions annoyed him and, admittedly, she seemed to get more answers from him when she was not asking him a million questions.

Pulling her thoughts away from Enoch and his wellbeing, Miss Peregrine glided into the tent, gesturing behind her as pulled out the chair next to hers at the table for someone to sit at. "This is Millard Nullings, he will be joining us from now on."

Instantly, their heads eagerly turned to look for the new arrival only to see that nobody else had entered the tent.

"There's no one there?" Hugh confusedly spluttered though a mouthful of toast, letting out the odd bee as he tried to enunciate his words.

"Millard?" Miss Peregrine called out, holding out her arms to usher the new boy in however all that appeared was some floating clothes.

"Is this a trick?" Horace piped up from the other end of the table, just as confused as the rest of them.

"Sadly not." A voice replied out of nowhere and confirmed to them all what they were thinking but choosing not to believe.

"You're invisible?" Hugh called out.

"I never knew that!" A sarcasm only Enoch could match erupted out of thin air and Olive instantly decided she was going to like this boy - he had spark.

Bronwyn, pursing her lips, turned her head to the side trying to see if another angle changed how the boy looked at all. "Do you even have a body?"

The boy nodded and then was quickly ushered by their guardian to take a seat. Miss Peregrine indicated to Fiona to serve up Millard some breakfast as she took her seat of the table, content with how calm the introduction had gone. New arrivals were rarely accepted amongst the company. They were too paranoid and constantly on the look out for potential threats so it was rare for someone new to get a warm welcome. "We'll have to be careful how we use his talents in our show, we don't want people knowing too much about us."

With having such an obvious peculiarity, it was easy to hold no suspicions against the boy. It was evident that if he was planning anything malicious, his oddity was so extreme that it would harm him most of all.

"What are the shoes for?" Millard attempted to start a conversation as he hesitantly made his way to his seat, hat nodding at the unmissable lead shoes Emma bore on her feet.

"They keep me from floating away." Emma gracefully smiled at him as he took his place across from her, careful to give the boy as pleasant as a welcome as possible.

"Oh, that's odd." He looked up at Fiona as she placed a plate full of everything they had to offer in front of him (Olive suspected there was a smile on his unseeable face), before pointing over at Olive and the gloves that adorned her hands. "And the gloves?"

"Um," Olive took a moment to think of the best way to describe her ability, "I set things on fire."

"Wow. I'd love to study that! I'm Millard by the way." The invisible boy replied enthusiastically, starting to cut into his meal as the entire table watched to see how exactly he was able to eat.

"I'm Emma and this is Olive," Emma waved her fork towards the other girl, "We hope you have a nice time here with us..." 

Emma trailed off as she was interrupted by the sudden presence of Enoch hovering around them. A chair was dragged across the wooden planks that had been placed on the floor to keep out the dirt and Enoch unceremoniously dropped down into the the seat next to Olive. Immediately he began to play with his breakfast, moving eggs around his plate all while keeping a watchful eye on the new arrival. The territorial act was peculiar for the boy and certainly did not go unnoticed from the people sitting around the table. Olive could almost hear the speculations that must have been going through their heads' from his actions.

"...This is Enoch." Emma forced through a fake smile, throwing a cautious peek over to the boy who'd bluntly interrupted them. Enoch's hostility towards Millard was radiating out of him and everyone in the room could sense it.

Spearing a sausage while glaring at the floating hat across the table from him, Enoch grunted in reply.

"Pleasure." Millard's hat bobbed uncertainly, intimidated by the death glare he was receiving. 

Gulping, Olive boldly stole a glance at Enoch beside her. She was slowly becoming increasingly more aware of his presence next to her, of how close he was to touching her, how she could almost feel the aggression his body was expelling. Olive wasn't quite sure whether she found his display irritable or attractive.

"How's the hand?" Olive asked uncertainly, she knew how much he hated questions but she was sure he wouldn't find her small talk all that pressing.

"Fine - I was just a splinter after all, nothing major." He groaned but Olive noted the playful tone that underlined his complaining. Clearly he was in a much better mood than he looked. Or maybe it was the fact he'd successfully stopped Millard from talking to her.

"You were bleeding."

Enoch's eyes almost rolled into the back of his head, emphasising over-dramatically how ridiculous her worry was. "Only a lit-"

"- We don't need to see you two flirting at the breakfast table, it's nauseating. Thank you very much." Hugh's voice forced the two of them out of their own private bubble as the both twisted their heads to glare at his smug grin, evidently ecstatic that he now had something new to bother Enoch about.

Enoch grumbled something under his breath as he went back to carelessly sawing into some bacon, a hint of redness appeared on his otherwise pale complexion. Silence fell between them for the remainder of their breakfast, neither one daring to talk or even look at the other again out of embarrassment.

\----

"Looks like someone is getting possessive." Emma sung as she walked into the kitchen, dropping her plate straight into the water basin and started to scrub. Her eyes carried a mischievous tint to them as she grinned at the girl drying off her own plate who was already blushing like a tomato.

"There's nothing going on. Besides, he likes you anyway." Olive replied hastily, a little too hastily to be unaffected by the subject matter however Emma seemed too preoccupied on her words to notice.

"Enoch O'Connor does not fancy me!" She scoffed, scrunching up her nose at the thought of Enoch liking her in that way. "I'd know."

Olive was taken aback. She was certain it was true, she had never thought to question it the entire time she had been there. It was supposed to be a fact, something everyone knew that went without speaking. "But- Everyone always mentions it?"

"He did fancy me - back when we were really little but that's just because I was the only girl back then."

"Oh." Olive sounded rather fostered as she placed her plate on the side with the others, "But he always stares at you, especially when you're on stage."

"Maybe he is just watching the show..." Emma murmured, gently nudging the other girl out of the way as she reached for another towel to dry her plate.

"Yeah..." Olive uttered softly, looking everywhere but at Emma in an attempt to not raise any questions from the girl.

"Oh. My. Goodness!" Emma slowly let her hands drop to place the plate on the side with the others while turning to gape at Olive, her face with a cross between shock and excitement.

To say Olive resembled a deer in headlights would be accurate. "W-what?"

"You like Enoch, don't you?"

"No - I mean - I like him as a friend - Nothing more." She stuttered nervously. Olive was finding it hard enough to convince herself of that let alone Emma.

"If you say so."

She tried her best to sound confident in her reply in a bid to persuade Emma. "I don't."

"Sure." Emma snickered with raised eyebrows, doubtful she was getting the full truth.

"I don't-" Olive statement was cut short when Hugh, smiling at them as he passed, made his way to the sink which was close enough to hear their conversation. "- fancy Enoch," Olive finished in a hush tone.

Emma only had to grin mischievously at the girl to make her blush once more. She didn't believe a single word she was saying.


	6. Of Anger and Rum

To say her day was ruined would be an understatement.

Olive's day was spoiled, shattered, all hope of her having a good day had been destroyed in little under a minute. She stared down at the incriminating object in her hand with rage, wishing it had never existed. When Horace had called her name out after collecting the post that morning she knew something was up. She never got mail, ever. None of them did really but on occasion some of the others would get something from a distant relative or a particularly keen friend they had made in another town. Olive, having cut of all connections to her remaining family members and usually keeping to herself, never received post - even Enoch received more that she did. Therefore, when the letter was handed to her she had hurried back to her trailer expecting bad news, not wanting to open her mail in front of the others in case her emotions revealed too much about what was in it. She knew it would be from her parents, her mother's easily recognisable writing was sprawled all over the envelope, but what she couldn't guess was what its contents held. Had an elderly aunt died and they felt morally obliged to let her know? Did they want more money? Had one of them developed their own powers and had written to her asking for forgiveness? No. Of all the theories in her head, she was not prepared for what was in the letter.

Olive was livid.

It took everything in her power not to burn the letter while she had it in her hands but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Her parents had wrote it, touched it. The sentimental value of it was enough to save it from becoming ashes. Crumpling up the source of her misery, Olive threw it on the floor and watched as it rolled to the corner of her quaint trailer. She wasn't used to the anger that was invading her body. She was supposed to be the nice one, the loving one, the calm one - instead all she wished to do was to destroy things.

Against her better judgement, Olive sprang out of her desk chair and stormed out of her trailer in search of someone to rant to. Claire probably didn't know what hit her when she decided to walk up to her with a cheerful smile on her face only to meet Olive's glare, as a result the young girl quickly backed away as Olive continued marching across the grass. Her legs carried her without thinking and it was only when she realised that she was walking towards the Big Top tent that she knew where she instinctually wanted to be.

Hovering outside the tent for longer than necessary, Olive caught up with her thoughts, questioning her motives to see if she really wanted to go in. Why did she want to see him of all people? Emma would probably be better help for her situation, unlike Enoch she actually understood social interactions and would probably be able to calm her down quickly. Instead, Olive had decided to go see the only other person on the site that would happily drown in misery with her.

Deciding to follow her gut, she threw back the entrance to stage area and rushed in, walking straight to the backstage area hoping he would be there and not in his trailer or off doing a random job somewhere. Sure enough, Enoch was hidden in there, peering closely at something while hunched at a desk, brows knotted together in concentration. Olive watched him from afar, choosing her next words carefully and debating how best to start a conversation with the boy but before she got a chance, Enoch beat her to it.

"Did you just come here to bother me?" Enoch routinely asked, not even caring to look up from his work. Somehow he knew who was visiting him without even checking.

Olive let out a loud sigh, expelling as much anger as she could with the breath and folded her arms as she leant against one of the many wooden beams that adorned the area. "I needed to talk to someone."

"I'm not usually the first choice when it comes to that." Enoch replied monotonously before glancing up at Olive finally and she watched as a slight look of concern appeared upon his otherwise neutral face. Despite Enoch's hard exterior, he wasn't going to snap at someone who looked that troubled by something. He wasn't that mean.

She watched him consider her words for a moment, her blood boiling as she waited, desperate to let all her thoughts and frustrations out to remedy her anger. His eyebrow raised slightly, only a few millimetres but it was noticeable nonetheless, as his brown eyes stared at her, carefully calculating the situation. It almost stunned her when he nodded gently, willing to comply to what she wanted - she didn't expect him to welcome her after all the comments he had made the last week about her being irritating.

"If you're going to stay, make yourself useful and pass me that hammer." Enoch awkwardly murmured as he turned back to his work, seemingly as confused as she was about his actions.

Sighing, Olive swung her arms to her sides and walked towards the tool in the middle of the room. She slapped the hammer down into his outstretched hand before unloading her problems onto him. "My parents sent me a letter this morning, said they want to take me back."

"Congratulations." He responded unusually attentively, the small wound on his hand stinging a little due to the force of Olive's actions.

She began to pace, her small heels clicking against the wooden floorboards as she went. If it was under any other circumstances, she'd had felt uncomfortable, like she had to hold in all her emotions to spare others from having to deal with it. But somehow, being only within Enoch's earshot, she was willing to let it all come out. Maybe it was the fact she didn't think he'd care much about what she wanted to say that made her so confident, or maybe it was the fact he was the only person in their gang who would tolerate such negativity. Either way she couldn't complain, letting out her rage would make her feel a lot better.

"I'm not happy about it... They wanted me gone in the first place. They made me leave behind everything that was normal to me! They sold me to strangers! And now they have the audacity to want me back?!"

Olive paused for a second to catch her breath and Enoch, noting her sudden silence behind him, felt it was his cue to say something.

"At least your parents feel remorse..."

His body became tense even by his standards - his shoulders tight, his jaw clenched. If she wasn't filled with rage, she would have noticed that her situation seemed to hit close to home for Enoch. However, being in her current state Enoch's shift in mood went unnoticed to the usually attentive girl.

"I'll never go back to them. My family is here now, with people who won't just abandon me when they feel like it -"

Olive's arms became unglued from her sides as she continued to pace across the floor, slowly becoming more and more expressive as she went.

"-I just can't believe they had the cheek to contact me. They have some nerve. I wish I had burnt down the house before I'd left now."

Enoch stood up from his work which derailed Olive from her rant. Swiftly, he shuffled over to his toolbox and began to search through it, digging down to the bottom to pull out an infrequently used item. She watched him scrupulously as he spun back and offered a small silver object to her.

"What is it?" She started at the item quizzically, recognising the object as a hip flask.

"Rum."

Olive didn't question him any further and took the dull flask from him, hastily unscrewing the top before taking a sip. She could feel his eyes on her, watching her with fascination as he stood only a meter away. She was so enthralled with his close proximity that the burning feeling from the sudden presence of alcohol almost went unnoticed.

"And, to make things even more ridiculous, they explicitly said that it was my fault they sold me in the first place. Because I had a choice in the matter obviously. I just woke up one day and decided to burn whatever my hands touched!-"

Enoch tried his best to hide the smirk that was growing on his face as she continued her yelling. Seeing Olive so uncharacteristically worked up was amusing, Olive and anger did not go together very well.

"-Then they said they'd only take me back if I apologised to my mother for burning her hands - like I didn't do it a million times already!" She took another swig at the rum before carrying on, "Do they really think after all they did to me that I would beg to come back? What do they think I am, a dog?!-"

"-It just makes me so angry that they think I want to go back...Ugh!" Olive fell down onto a nearby wooden box with a thud.

"You done?" Enoch asked with raised eyebrows, there was an undeniable hint of amusement in his voice that lightened Olive's spirits slightly.

Olive could just about see the faint glimpse of a smirk on his lips and she couldn't help but think he'd be rather handsome if he'd actually smiled properly. She supposed that Enoch was very handsome regardless, by far the easiest on the eye out of their company, and she couldn't help but be enamoured by him whenever he happened to look her way. Sensing she had taken too long to answer his question, Olive tried her best to shake off the warm feeling that was spreading across her body (which she told herself was due to the rum).

"Just about..." She managed to squeak out, trying her best not to look at him too much for fear of violently blushing.

"Are you going to reply to them?"

"Nope. They don't deserve the satisfaction." She sighed, deflating her body from the last remaining ounce of anger and leaned forward to rest her face upon her hand, watching him once more at work. "Can I hide in here with you? I'm scared I'm going to argue with anyone who tries to be nice with me."

Enoch didn't look too happy with the idea but she took his lack of protesting as a sign that he didn't mind too much.

Her eyes followed him as he went back to his desk and her mind began to wonder. A small, but very vocal, part of her was beginning to speculate if Emma had been correct. Her mind had automatically taken her to see him for a reason, and maybe that reason wasn't as simple as just wanting someone to be miserable with. She certainly felt a bit gooey whenever she was around him and she had read enough romance novels to know that was a sign that you liked someone. Even she couldn't deny how commonly she got flushed when he was around; There was definitely an attraction there but that didn't mean she wanted to drag him to the privacy behind the storage trailer and snog him hidden from the prying eyes of their friends...

Taking another sip of the rum he'd given her, she boldly pushed herself up from where she had landed and made her way over to see if he needed any help.If she was going to stay there, she may as well make herself useful.


	7. Of Crushes and Flirting

It was undeniable - she was well and truly crushing on Enoch O'Connor.

Ever since it dawned on her that Emma may have been right about her feelings, the thought of fancying Enoch grew in her mind until in became all she could think about. He made her pulse raise, his grumpiness inadvertently made her smile, and the thought of being able to call her his made her feel a warmth she had never experienced before. She had fallen for him, and fallen hard. However, the last time she had properly fancied someone was the boy who lived on the next street from her parents years ago and she was soon discovering what crushing on someone meant as a seventeen year old girl.

It was sinful really, and she probably should pray for forgiveness for it but Olive couldn't help the burning sensation she got whenever she thought about him. She wanted to kiss him, snog him senseless whenever he just looked at her. Too often she had found herself daydreaming about pulling him away from what he was working on to drag him somewhere even more private and have her way with him. There were even some unholy times she thought about other things, marital things, things that a girl as pristine as her shouldn't be thinking about. It scared her to think that she had had such ungodly thoughts about someone she barely knew - they talked, but the only thing she knew about him was the basics that everyone knew.

Olive spent every day helping him now, always wiling to pass him whatever he needed, watching as he - they - made both the fun things and the boring things. They were a team - he the marvellous magician and her his assistant, diligently watching as he turned even the most inanimate objects into something special. She'd never forget seeing him give life to whatever he wished - it was amazing. To have such power over life like that was a wonderful ability. All she had was some fire in her hands that meant she probably had to wear gloves for the rest of her life.

It was common knowledge around camp now that you could usually find them together and Olive had assumed that Enoch would have been uncomfortable with this reputation but thus far, he didn't seem too bothered. The sly comments about what exactly the two spent their day doing was however getting to him - to both of them really. Victor and Hugh appeared to be particularly on his back about it and if Olive had to sit through one more conversation with Emma about Enoch she'd might consider slapping her. They were many questions about their sudden friendship, all of which Olive didn't want to answer - there was something quite nice about being the only one knowing much about him.

Enoch was starting to look more and more troubled about something every day. He'd turn up to breakfast unshaven, he'd snap at things that he wouldn't usually snap at, and he just looked sad all the time. Olive was beginning to get concerned not just for his emotions but for his physical health - he looked weak. It surprised her that he hadn't pushed her away yet. She thought that with his mood deteriorating as much as it had she would have been the first to go - they did spend the best part of everyday together after all. The fact her company was still tolerated by Enoch seemed like a miracle.

Olive usually stayed with him for the entire day and she loved every minute of it - she came after she'd finished her chores and had breakfast and left after dinner to go get ready for the show. They only really took a break for her to go fetch the two of them some lunch whenever someone shouted it was ready. Admittedly, she didn't want to be anywhere else but in his company and got excited every morning at the thought of spending the rest of the day with him.

That day she almost skipped towards the tent, excited to be in the same room as him and his dark brooding good looks. She was well aware that nothing would happen between them, even with the knowledge that he did not like Emma that way. Enoch had never shown the slightest hint that he would ever think of her that way so she told herself there was no point getting her hopes up for it. Instead, she was content just to spend her days in his company, admiring him from afar while she waited for the crush to blow over.

Surprisingly, when she arrived that day she was surprised to hear someone else already there, chatting to Enoch. It was clear from Enoch low grumbling he was not impressed with that whoever it was. Peaking through the doors of the tent, she noticed the distinguishable floating hat of Millard, hovering in front of a clearly displeased looking Enoch. As if by clockwork, his eyes flashed up to meet hers the second she glided in the room, looking at her over the top of Millard and expressed his displeasure at the situation...So piercing was his look that Olive had to check that she wasn't visibly swooning.

"Is this because I asked to take a look at your girlfriend's powers? I'm really sorry if it offended you." Millard's voice was shaky.

Olive's breath caught in her throat. She wasn't his girlfriend, she was well aware of that, but for some reason the prospect of hearing Enoch's next words made a heart beat a little faster.

His eyes flicked back down to the boy, glaring at where he assumed his face to be. "Sod off." Enoch spat, more sour sounding then she'd ever heard him sound before. He was in a bad mood, a really awful mood, and Olive was unsure how best to deal with it.

Millard scurried off without another word, brushing past her as he went leaving the two of them alone. Enoch stuffed his hands in his trouser pockets and looked at her expectedly.

"Er, I brought you some bread...You weren't at breakfast." Olive managed to force out despite being incredibly flustered.

"Thanks." He replied with as much sincerity as he could muster.

Despite his cutting tone and sulking, Olive was pleased to see he was at least trying not to be mean to her. It was nice to know that he thought high enough of her not to subject her to his moodiness. Felling a little bolder knowing that he was attempting to be as nice as he could, she shook off her nervousness and tried to be as normal as she could. Hopefully acting like there was nothing wrong with him would make him feel better at least.

"That wasn't a very nice - scaring Millard like that." Olive scolded, half playfully half seriously, while running a gloved hand across the top of the chairs as she made her way towards him.

"How many times do you have to be told I'm not a nice person?"

Coming to a stop in front of him, she held out the bread she stolen from the breakfast table, blushing profusely from his steady gaze.

"I wouldn't say that - You're a tolerable person."

"That's generous."

He took the bread from her and spun on his heels, walking away even more sluggish than usual. "Anyway, I don't trust him, asking all those questions, asking to study us..."

Following quick behind him, Olive tried to reason with him. His aversion towards Millard wasn't okay and it was certainly uncalled for - the boy had done nothing wrong to him. "His aunt was the mayoress that came the other week, she gave Miss Peregrine a generous sum to take him off her hands."

"Lucky us." Enoch muttered curtly, the circles under his eyes looking more black in the dim lighting than they must really be. It almost broke her heart to see him so dejected. Enoch never was the life of the party but he wasn't usually this gloomy.

"What are we making now?" She tried to smile, hoping it could help cheer him slightly.

"Miss Peregrine wants a new pulley system to stop Emma flying off, the other one is knackered." He slumped down into his chair, rested his face in his hands, and sighed.

"Oh, okay." Olive pressed on, attempting as best she could take his mind off of whatever was bothering him. "Had you always been pretty handy?"

"I suppose so."

"Sometimes I get jealous of you. It all gets very complicated when you wear gloves all the time."

"Why don't you try then?" He dropped one hand from his face and turned his head to look at her.

Olive felt his eyes on her once again and could help notice the fluttering feeling in her stomach. Feeling the sudden need to sit down the girl was forced to perch on a box directly in his line of vision. She really need to get over him, even she thought it was getting pathetic how badly she got in his presence.

"Try what?

"Taking off your gloves."

His stare was getting intense; he was watching her with such severity that she was sure she was going to melt.

Olive couldn't help but notice the strand of hair that had fallen onto his face that she desperately needed to push away for him. She bit her lip, forcing back any feverish thoughts that may have entered her brain, only to have more enter it as she saw his eyes dip down and notice her actions.

"I've already told you, I'm scared..." She somehow managed to stutter out, watching as a his lips began to turn up slightly and a look of amusement spread across his face. "What?"

"Nothing." Enoch quickly turned his face away from her, not wanting to be seen showing any emotion other than boredom.

The smirk on his face was almost foreign to Olive, it had been so long since she'd seen him supporting anything other than a constant grimace.

"What are you smirking at?" Olive shyly teased, content that his mood was brightening just a little.

"You're just so hard to please. You don't want to wear gloves, you don't want to take them off..." One of Enoch's eyebrows shot up as he begun to drum his fingers on the table next to him.

"Well, you say you don't want a friend, but here you are talking to me. I'd say you were pretty hard to please also."

"Not like I have a choice in the matter." He scoffed.

"I don't see you running away."

Enoch tried to force down his smile, biting his cheek and quickly busied himself with his work, eager to stay well away from talking about his emotions.

And then it dawned on her and her cheeks turned a ghastly shade of red in just a few seconds.

Enoch O'Connor was flirting.


	8. Of Teasing and Disaster

"I see someone is looking cheerier than usual. I take it Olive finally got you out of your mood."

Victor fell into the chair across from him at breakfast with a grin on his face. Enoch had been feeling better, he'd managed to sleep through the majority of the night which was a clear sign his mood was beginning to pick up but Victor's smug look almost sent him back into his perpetual wallowing. Clearly he was suggesting that Olive had tried to brighten his spirits by doing something other than talking with him and Enoch wasn't too sure how he felt about Victor's forwardness. He didn't like knowing that someone else was thinking of Olive in that way, even if they were thinking about her doing the things with him and him alone.

He was getting too over protective of the girl, but as much as he tried to stop himself from caring so much, she did something that brought it all back. There was just something so peculiar about Olive that made him completely enamoured. She was haunting. It only took seeing her for a few seconds for him to forget all his problems - there was a reason he had allowed her to spend every day with him. He suspected that was something else was at hand in his decision; he was beginning to think he was developing feelings for the girl. It scared him. This wasn't him, he didn't do feelings. He didn't think it was possible for someone as icy as he to hold affections for anyone else but somehow Olive made it possible.

He needed her brightness like he needed air.

"Shut it." Enoch spluttered a little too aggressively than was normal – even for him.

Anxiously he glanced around the room to see if anyone was listening in. It was early, most people not yet out of bed yet so the room was much less crowded than it would be half an hour later. He already knew he was safe from Olive overhearing; he had noticed she wasn't in the tent the moment he had walked in. Millard, on the other hand, was hovering too close to them for Enoch's liking – he really didn't tolerate nor trust the new boy yet. He asked too many questions, especially towards Olive which hadn't gone unnoticed by him.

"You actually like her, don't you?"

He wanted to protest it. As much as he knew he could trust Victor not to say anything, he'd much prefer to be the only person who knew what was going on inside his head. But the two used to be close, and Victor knew him almost as well as he knew himself. There was no point hiding from him.

"So?"

He didn't want to like her, or anyone for that matter, but he did. Olive had crept up on him, inspiring emotions in him he had never felt before and somehow, he found himself acting without little thought around her. In his own odd way, he'd found himself flirting with her on more than one occasion. He couldn't help it, she just made him feel a little bit better about himself that he felt the desire to be a little more suggestive and playful with her. It frightened him - how he acted towards her was instinctual. He figured it would happen at some point in his life, even he wasn't cynical enough to doubt there wasn't someone out their who would catch his eye, but being confronted with all these strange new feelings was overwhelming.

"Enoch likes a girl. This is new territory."

The sharp scowl Enoch sent his way was enough to stop Victor from his teasing. He may have been in a better mood that usual, but that didn't mean he was ready to endure his playfulness again. 

"...Sorry, I'll stop it."

Enoch went to fiddle with the remains of his breakfast, pushing his food around his plate as a way to distract himself from the awkwardness of the conversation. Victor was still staring at him, a serious look on his face and Enoch raised an eyebrow to question it.

"Don't push her away Enoch."

Enoch was not expecting such a sombre statement and was forced into silence, unsure of where the conversation was heading. Victor clearly wanted a deep and meaningful conversation out of him but will all that was still going on in his head, Enoch didn't think he was willing to give one.

"Most people would say I spent too much time with her." He grumbled, attempting to keep it as light hearted as he could manage which wasn't very effective considering it was him.

"You know what I mean. If you want this to work, let her in."

"I don't even let you in, and I actually like you."

Victor smirked, thinking of the perfect responsive that he knew would make the other boy blush. "Well you don't want to kiss me..."

"Enoch, you've got a letter."

A slightly flustered Enoch flashed a sarcastic smile at Victor as he counted his lucky stars that Horace had given him an excuse to leave the conversation and turned to take the letter. However, his smile was quickly wiped off his face when he realised what had just been handed to him.

He knew it was bad news the moment he saw his father's sharp writing on the envelope - he'd been expecting it for a while. He could feel his emotions trying to boil out of him - anger, sadness, despair, relief - and he tried his very best to keep everything in. Tightening his jaw, he cast a weary look to Victor, warning him not to question the contents of his letter before taking off, leaving his unfinished breakfast behind him at the table.

In a bid to pretend that nothing was wrong, his legs carried him over to his workspace, albeit a lot quicker than usual. He wanted to be out of sight, away from anyone who could glance over and see that he was somewhat distressed. As much as he enjoyed Olive's company, he was praying that she wasn't going to be in the tent that early. Usually she went to go see Claire in the mornings and help her get ready so he knew he should have a good half an hour to try and sort his mind out before she came and bothered him.

As soon as he entered the tent, he reached down to open the envelope but stopped himself when he realised what he was doing. While he trusted Olive not to be there at that time, he needed to check – she was one of the last people he'd want to see him in such a state.

"Olive?"

Enoch waited a second to listen for a response and took the silence that followed as confirmation that she wasn't in there. Anxiously, he tore open the seal of the letter, scared of what he he knew would be inside. He only had to read the first few lines to confirm he was right. The evitable news had come.

Enoch didn't know what he was feeling or how to decipher his emotions. He was angry, he was devastated but also he felt relief, like a huge weight had been lifted from him. Part of him felt guilty for letting himself start to feel better, that the reason the news had come that day was to punish him for not having it on his mind constantly. What ever he was feeling, he let himself succumb to the emotions, as stoic as he was, even Enoch could hold back the tidal wave of grief that came over him.

He didn't realise he was crying until he felt his own tears dripping in to his hand. He hasn't cried since he'd been a little boy, his dad used to beat him whether he did, expressing to him that boys weren't allowed to cry. Enoch knew that way of thinking was obsolete but he still had been conditioned by it anyway. Collapsing into one of the seats in the audience, Enoch couldn't be bother to stifle his tears and let it all out.

He didn't know how long her sat there, staring at the first few lines of his letter, not bothering to read the rest. It must have been a long time as he heard the cold December wind slowly increase its gusto and begin to batter the tent wall. It was only when he heard the familiar clanking of heels that he came back to reality. Quickly, he began to clean his face in the attempt to try and cover up what he was doing even though he realised it would be pointless.

He knew it was Olive - he knew her footsteps.

"Are you alright? What's wrong?" 

He heard the worry in her voice as she came to a halt next to him. Enoch's hands flew up to wipe his eyes before flashing Olive a dirty look. He didn't want her there, he wasn't ready to share that much with her yet. Maybe one day, he could definitely see him being able to open up with her eventually, but he was far from that at the moment. He was too insecure, too hateful of himself and his own emotions to drag her into his life with them.

"Enoch, what's wrong?"

Her hand carefully grasped his shoulder, trying not to startle him with the sudden comfort but she had done. Her hands were warm, even through the gloves, and he wasn't quite sure if that was due to her powers or his feelings for her. In any other circumstances he would have enjoyed the contact, he may have even tried his best at flirting with her as he knew that was the normal thing to do when you liked someone. However, it was not the time for innocent flirtation and he shook off her hand as quickly as she had placed it on him.

"Leave me alone."

He aggressively stood up, and was prepared to stare down Olive until she left his space. She looked stunned, and was peering up at him with wide, determined eyes. Enoch could tell that she was fearful of him, he knew how destructive he could be when he was not willing to cooperate. But just when he thought she was going to back away from him, her hands went sternly to her hips, matching the stubbornness he was expelling.

"Not until you tell me what's wrong."

Her stare was becoming piercing and was beginning to make him incredibly uncomfortable. He wasn't quite sure how a girl as innocent and nice as she was could become such a strict and strong-willed woman when ever she wanted. Once minute she was as intimidating as little Claire was, the next she was nearing Miss Peregrine's level.

"Why can't you must back off and let me be! Must you always be so intrusive." Enoch barked. He felt like he was being backed into a corner and he did not like it one bit.

"I'm just trying to be a friend."

"Yeah well, I'm not your friend. Never have been and never will be. I don't even like you!"

"I know you don't mean that..." She murmured sadly. She knew he didn't mean it, he knew he didn't mean it, but he had still said it and it had still hurt.

"No you don't, you don't know me at all!"

Enoch felt a new stream of tears falling onto his cheeks and he could tell from how her expression had softened that she had noticed it also. He hated how he was being but he just couldn't stop himself from erupting, he just wanted so desperately to be alone.

"Then tell me."

Assertively, he took a step closer to her, hoping that he could intimidate her into leaving him in peace. 

"Piss off Olive. Mind your own business for once." He snarled at her, no longer caring what she thought of him. He just so desperately needed her to leave him be. He knew he'd later regret his words to her but he said them anyway, because he was an unpleasant person and that was what unpleasant people did.

Before he had chance to protest he was surrounded by Olive and the warmth that came with her. Slowly, her hands found their way around his shoulders and he immediately tensed up, unfamiliar to being touched in such a comforting way. He felt pressure on the back of his neck as she pulled him closer, her warmth spreading through him like flames. Their closeness was all he could think about. The sensation of her head against his shoulder, her hands like little heaters across his shoulders, her hips deliberately not touching him but close enough to still sense. The movement was overwhelming so much so that his previous thoughts got momentarily lost in the back of his brain. Letting out the air he didn't realise he had been holding in, he relaxed into her grip, and chose to ignore the small lingering though in his head that he should push her away. Without really thinking, one of his hands had snaked its way around her waist to rest at the small of her back, leaving the other limp at his side, still holding the letter. It was nice holding her close, like he was finally satisfying a craving he had been unknowingly experiencing for a long time. He wasn't aware of how long he stayed wrapped around her, all he knew was that he felt warm and safe, and just a little bit better about the whole situation.

Someone had to be the first one to move away and break their connection and surprisingly it wasn't Enoch. Olive had leaned away slightly, enough to look up at him with sadness in her eyes. He could tell she cared and cared too much than was probably best for her. He was catastrophic, but what she had was pure and didn't deserve to be tainted by him. Yet, despite his head telling her to push her away before she gets hurt, he wanted her - needed her - to be close to him once more. She was a drug, she took his mind off of all of his problems just by being there, and he desired nothing more than to stay like that with her all day. 

She stared up at him ardently and Enoch couldn't help but notice how light her eyes were. How flawless her skin was. How she had a gentle speckling of freckles on her cheeks that he had never noticed before. How her lips were just the perfect shape...

Suddenly, he felt like kissing her.

So he did.


	9. Of Kissing and Confessions

The second his lips came into contact with hers, Olive froze.

His kiss was as clumsy as it was unexpected. It was warm, it was possessive, it was just so Enoch. Instantly, she became aware of every inch of her body, from the feeling of his tear stained cheeks against hers, to the way her hands at his neck ached to take her gloves off and feel the softness of his curls there. It only took a millisecond for her to return the pressure of his lips, one hand falling down from his shoulder as she left it to rest against his chest, concentrating on the slightly raised heartbeat she found there. From his nervousness, Olive suspected he had not kissed someone before or at least he hadn't in a long time but she didn't care, she wasn't an expert herself so she couldn't expect him to be. Without thinking, her eyes fell closed, savouring every last second of the kiss even though it was a prominent thought in her brain that this was not good timing.

After what felt like a lifetime, Enoch abruptly pulled away, dropping his arm from around her and attempted to twist out of her grasp. He looked stunned, confused by his own actions, and Olive thought there was a hint of frightened in there too. It was clear he wasn't expecting himself to do that, at all, and while the surprise had been welcomed by her, it seemed to have been rather overwhelming for him.

If he wasn't trapped by the line of chairs behind him, she knew he would have tried to run away from her and what had just happened. For a moment he just stared at her stared, eyes wide in panic and not giving away any of his emotions other than shock. As abruptly as he had pulled away, his eyes snapped down to the floor and suddenly he wasn't able to look at her any longer. His hands feverishly ran their way through his hair as his breathing became louder, almost to a pant. He was terrified.

"Sorry - I shouldn't have – I -"

"- Don't worry about it." All thoughts of their previous actions left her head as it dawned on her that he was close to having a mental breakdown if he had not yet experienced one. He looked frazzled and his eyes were darting around the room like he was seeing things that weren't there. She knew if any part of her mind was dwelling on kissing Enoch, she would be being selfish. It had felt good, but the dismay he was display was enough to erase all thoughts completely. "Are you okay Enoch?"

"No." He managed to gasp out, his breathing getting more and more heavier at every pant.

Olive had seen people in this state before, which she believed it to be the beginnings of a panic attack, but all she knew about it was that the quicker she could calm him down the better. Gently she placed a hand on his arm and squeezed, carefully reminding him that she was there.

"Come on, lets sit down."

Enoch didn't look up at her, just nodded his head slightly before allowing her to guide him into the nearest chair. Immediately, his elbows fell to his knees and he cradled his head there, staring down at the pieces of grass that were sticking through the planks of wood him and Victor had spent almost an entire morning setting up when they had first arrived there.

Olive cautiously moved to perch next to him, careful not to startle him further. She thought about hugging him again, pulling him close until he started to feel better but she was scared that would only push him away instead. He was out of his comfort zone, the least he would want was someone trying to smother him in hugs until he felt better. Deciding instead to take a less offensive approach, Olive gently placed a hand between his broad shoulders and tried her hardest to expel the perfect amount of heat needed for optimum comfort. Slowly, she drew her hand across his back, deliberately tracing wide circles as she felt his muscles relax underneath her hand. She didn't care to notice how long she sat next of him (she'd have happily done it all day if he needed her to) but it only seemed to take a couple of minutes before his breathing returned to a more normal pace and he began to move around again.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Olive softly asked, sensing he was ready to communicate once more without his hysteria making a comeback.

"No."

His reply was short but with a much more definite tone than previously. Content that he was retreating to his normal Enoch-ness, Olive decided not to push him further; she trusted that if he wanted to talk, he would say so.

"Okay...Is there anything I can do?" Olive question him, her hand coming to a halt on his shoulder as she waited for a response.

As timidly as it was possible for Enoch to be, he turned his head to peer at her curiously. She noted that his crying had long stopped but the effects it had had upon his skin were still there and his eyes were puffy and his cheeks red– she suspected from the violent effects it had that his sudden burst of emotion was a long time coming. He swallowed determinedly like he was repressing his feelings once more and stared at her so intensely that it made her forget where she was.

"Just distract me."

At first she thought he was asking her to kiss him again but the dejected look on his face suggested that he wasn't. He needed her to distract him, to make him forget, to calm the storm of feelings that was occurring in his head.

Standing up with slightly too much relish than was appropriate, she smiled delicately down at him and gestured him to stand up with her. "Come on then, lets go see what we need to get do today."

She attempted to reach down and grab his hand but Enoch quickly moved it away from her as he stood, no longer wanting any more physical contact from her. While it saddened her that his defensive walls had been rebuilt, even she could admit how lovely it was to observe he was slowly returning to his usual grouchy self. Seeing him in such a bad condition had shaken her to the core, Enoch was one of the last people she thought she'd see displaying so much emotion and all that negativity had frightened her.

He began to shove the piece of paper he had been grasping so tightly in his hand into his pocket and out of her sight. The letter had been there the entire time and she had yet to noticed the offending item. It was evident to Olive that this was probably the reason behind his sudden deterioration that day and made a note not to ask him about it or any other letters he may receive in the near future.

"You know, Miss Peregrine's thinking about moving us again. She says the people here are getting too familiar... She's thinking somewhere around Nottingham but Horace says he's been dreaming about the Blackpool tower. Bet that will be fun, we could go to one of the piers – Claire would love that!" Olive chattered aimlessly as the two of the made their way over to the workspace that was beginning to feel comfortably familiar to her.

Claire would indeed love playing on one of Blackpool's famous piers, Olive could already picture the young girl's wide grin as she discovered yet another fun thing she could do there. Even though she knew Enoch would hate every second of it, she also couldn't help imagining hanging off of Enoch's arm and walking with him along the promenade, listening to him grumble and moan about every little thing that displeased him. Blackpool would be an enjoyable adventure, and going on a date with Enoch was an even more enjoyable thought.

As she attempted to return her mind from the land of her imagination, Enoch had moved ahead of her and into the space that she had begun to refer to as 'theirs'. There was a pile of wood in the corner of the room and Enoch began to shift it around, moving pieces from one stack to another till he found one the right size her was looking for. Olive wasn't quite sure what he was up to, she had suspected that he would have wanted to make a new creature or some other fun thing to take his mind off of things but from his actions, it seemed he wanted to do the mundane chores instead.

As silence fell over them once more, Olive desperately began searching her head for something else to talk about, something to fill the void and, more importantly, distract him from whatever he was feeling. It was only then that she remembered that she needed to ask him about something Miss Peregrine had mentioned in passing days before. Their guardian had commented on the fact that it was Enoch's birthday soon, his eighteenth, and that she had needed someone to take over her teaching duties while she travelled into the town to get something for him. Olive had only been with them just over a year so could only remember one of Enoch's birthdays but even she knew that he didn't allow for anyone to make a big deal out of it - now that she thought about it, no one had tried to anyway. Maybe it was because he was turning eighteen that Miss Peregrine wanted to do something special, or maybe she had sensed there had been something seriously bothering Enoch those past few weeks and had decided to treat him. Either way, Olive perceived that was as good a sign as any that maybe this year Enoch would be willing to at least acknowledge he was a year older and allow her to buy him a gift; if Miss Peregrine could do it, surely she, someone who actually spent a lot of time with him, could do so too.

Walking further into the room, Olive watched his movements over his shoulder, interested to see what he was attempting to do by moving wood around. She could tell from the glimpses she got of his face that he was determined to make himself as busy as possible, so much so that it seemed he had already forgotten she was even in the room so she cleared her throat before asking, "Isn't it your birthday soon? I remember Miss Peregrine saying something at breakfast the other day."

"Yeah, next week." Enoch murmured nonchalantly as he grabbed one tiny piece of wood and took his seat at the desk, not even bothering to acknowledge her presence close to him.

"May ask what day?"

"Wednesday." His grumble was so muffled that it took Olive a moment to register what he had just said.

If her calculations were correct, that gave her little under a week to buy Enoch something for his birthday which she was certainly going to do whether he protested it or not. She wanted to do something nice for him, especially after she had seen the state he had been in only minutes previously. Giving him a gift would show him she cared and, besides, becoming eighteen was a big deal worth honouring - he would be old enough for most people to consider him an adult, he was going to be eligible to conscription to the army, he could leave Miss Peregrine's care whenever he wanted...

And then quietly, almost as if he was trying not to disturb the peace that hung in the air despite the severity of his news, he let her in.

"My mum died."

She felt awkward. All she could manage to do was stare at him pitifully, her mouth agape trying to form the right words to say to him. It was obvious that whatever had disturbed him was something significant but she was not expecting that.

"Oh." Was all the words Olive could create in response.

"I don't want to talk about it...Just thought you should know." He trailed off, focusing even more intensely on his work and tried his best to forget he had told her anything.

Olive stood over his shoulder aghast, the cogs in her brain had begun to decipher the situation and the unforeseen news Enoch had just bestowed on her. She knew it was a big deal for him to share something like that with her, and she was grateful for it, but that didn't help her to cope with the shock of what she had just heard. Her mind was instantaneously drawn back to the letter she knew he'd got hidden in his pocket and deduced that it must have been that which had bore the bad news to Enoch, he had held it like it was his most prized possession and a curse at the same time. That news would explain the sudden barrage of emotion he had been displaying - the news had devastated him. It would have devastated her, and up until recently she had had no contact from her mother whatsoever. She supposed Enoch had not had much experience with emotional pain, he was certainly a deep thinker and his thoughts were far from jolly, but from the way he had handled himself, she knew he had no clue how to cope with his overflowing emotions. Enoch was a suppressor, and the moment he could no longer restrict his feelings, he just fell apart.

All she could do for him now was be there, and that was exactly what she was determined to do.


	10. Of Presents and Apologies

It wasn't long after his confession to Olive that Enoch more or less returned to his usual mordant self. He still wasn't quite right, he still was a bit more aggressive than normal and would snap at the littlest of things, but confiding in her with the slightest bit of information had taken a great weight from his conscience, so much so that Olive could sense a difference in the boy. There was still sadness in his eyes, the traces of something awful happening to him were still there, but he could hide them again – they were no longer overpowering. She didn't quite understand how he could have recovered so quickly but she figured there was a lot she didn't know about the situation that would give her more of an insight into his actions.

The morning after his break down, he had scornfully snarled back at the first thing she had said to him and Olive couldn't prevent the elated grin that had grew on her face. Emma had been nearby and had looked at her like she was mad but Olive didn't care, Enoch and his sarcasm were back, and that was all that mattered to her. Over the rest of the week, his mood had picked up significantly, and Olive could not have been more pleased. He was still a grouch, and a mean one at that, but he was no longer a sorrowful grouch and that was a welcome difference.

Due to his improvement in temperament, Olive was now even more determined to find the perfect gift for Enoch's upcoming birthday, she figured if he was returning to his usual foreboding mood he'd be more willing to accept a gift from her. She knew he would still grumble and complain when she gave him something or even wished him a happy birthday but she doubted he would outright refuse it anymore and that thought was enough to spur her on.

Yet, Olive had been so distracted by Enoch's progress that it had reached Monday and she still hadn't bought him a present. She hadn't really thought about what she was going to get him - despite all the time she spent with him, she didn't know him that well so she had no idea what he was interested in besides anything surrounding death. The only thing she'd ever seen him get passionate over was the creatures he made but she couldn't exactly buy numerous hearts while she was in town, that would draw too much attention to herself which Miss Peregrine always warned them about.

Having only two days left until it was his birthday, she was resolute that she needed to buy him a present, whatever that may be, and as soon as possible. When she woke up that morning, she had already decided that she was going to travel into town that day instead of spending it with Enoch in his workplace, and she pretended not to notice the pang of disappointment she developed at the thought of not seeing him. So, that morning after breakfast, instead of trudging across the grass to meet up with Enoch she pulled on her cape, sent a message with Emma to tell him she would not be joining him today, and left the camp without a second thought.

-

The present shopping had gone surprisingly better than Olive had originally thought; Enoch, even with protecting himself behind his walls and not letting anyone in, was unexpectedly easy to buy for. Anything remotely gothic or sombre could be bought with him in mind and Olive had found herself spoilt for choice in the sleepy welsh town centre. After making her last purchase of the day (she didn't want to buy him too much as then she would come off overly keen), she was happy to see when she glanced at the shop's wall clock that she still had five or so hours until show time that night which meant she had plenty time to walk back and spend some time with Enoch, watching from the side lines as he worked his miracles for the rest of the day.

However, Olive only took one step out of the shop before she was shocked out of her thoughts of the boy. Instead of walking outside and meeting the sharp December air, she had stepped right into someone walking in a hurry and was almost knocked to the ground. Instantly she had thrown her arms out to regain her balance and was met by the sturdy hands of the man on her arms, pulling her up and helping to secure her balance once more. It only took Olive a instant to recognise the familiar thick overcoat and dark clothing of Enoch and she immediately became flustered at the idea that he had been the one to be her knight in shining armour.

"S-sorry." Olive stammered out as her eyes met Enoch's brown ones, his hands firmly grasping her forearms to steady her as his bare fingertips brushed against the exposed skin above her black gloves. His otherwise emotionless face displayed hints of surprise as he stood motionless, his brain not yet fully registering what had happened.

The cold fingertips resting on her forearms began to feel like they were burning and Olive hastily pulled herself away, checking with her eyes to see if she had done any damage to his pale skin only to find his fingers undamaged. It dawned on her that all she had felt was that fiery feeling that she only read about before, the one where every little touch from that certain someone is enough to send your insides into a frenzy. Olive knew she was too much of a romantic for her own good and anxiously went about checking the bag she was still carrying with Enoch's already wrapped presents in to see if there had been any accidents.

When she had felt she had recovered from her embarrassment, Olive cautiously glanced up at Enoch who was no longer looking startled and was staring at her amusedly (well, amusedly by Enoch's standards) with a raised eyebrow. She could feel the blush in her cheeks that she had so desperately tried to remove begin to creep back as she tried her hardest to think of something to say.

Enoch beat her to it though and his voice cut through the awkwardness, distracting her from the barrage of thoughts about him that were running through her head.

"What are you doing here?" His words were curt and lacked passion but Olive knew him well enough to know he meant nothing by his bluntness, that was just how he conversed.

"Just finished off some shopping, and yourself?"

"Went to the post office." Enoch nodded solemnly, conveying to her in that instant that she needn't ask any questions about it as he wasn't going to discuss it with her. Clearly, he had been replying to the letter – the letter – and she didn't want to pry, it was evident that he wished it to be private and Olive was keen to uphold his wishes.

"I was just about to walk back to the camp if you want to join me?"

Enoch's request had taken her aback, he was usually never that forward, even with her. She knew that if it was any other boy she would have been reading too much into the situation but because it was Enoch, she couldn't help but think that the suggestion was significant for him.

"Sure."

Without warning, Enoch had reached down towards her hands and for a second Olive allowed her mind to divulge the thought that he was attempting to hold her hand only to feel disappointment when instead he took the bag she was holding out of her hands.

"You don't have to do that..."

It was uncharacteristically gentlemanly of him so she knew she shouldn't complain but she couldn't shake the displeasure of not being able to hold his hand like she wanted to. Olive knew if she tried he would just move away like he had done last time she had attempted it but that didn't mean she wasn't thinking about trying again.

Enoch cough a little and she realised she had been staring, and swiftly she spun on her heels to take off in the direct of the camp. It didn't take long for Enoch and his long legs to catch up with her and he fell into step next to her, swinging the bag that he didn't know held presents for him slightly as he went.

"How are you?" Olive asked timidly, not only had their sudden encounter set her on edge, she was becoming aware that would probably be their first real conversation other than pleasantries since the whole ordeal only days previously.

"Thought you weren't going to pry?" He snapped at her like she was getting on his nerves, yet Olive could not detect much maliciousness in his tone. He was just bickering for the sake of it, and without thinking, Olive bit the bullet and bickered back.

"Asking how you are isn't prying...It's not like you need to give me lots of other information other than how you are feeling."

"Well, Olive, I'm feeling peachy."

"Good, I'm glad."

The sudden sincereness of her reply forced them both back into silence, the only sound to be heard was the rhythmic thud of their feet against the pavement. While they were just mildly squabbling with each other, Olive sensed he was being genuine with his answer and was happy to hear he was feeling better. It was clear from how he had been acting that that was the case but hearing him confirm it helped relieve her of the worry she still had.

His free hand was swinging by her side and Olive was tempted to reach down and grab it with her gloved one. The feeling of his cold slender fingers intwined with hers was something of dreams for Olive and she got so distracted by the thought that she caught herself almost walked into a lamppost lining the edge of the pavement. Taking a deep breath, Olive was had just about plucked up the courage to make the brave move before Enoch suddenly spoke up and thwarted her plans.

"Look, erm –" Enoch stuttered, sounding more uncomfortable than she had ever heard him before, "I wanted to say sorry for being in such a state the other day."

Even though he was apologising for something he had ever right to do, his honesty was greatly appreciated by Olive. Weeks ago she would never have dreamt Enoch would display any remorse about the way he acts but something, be it recent events or a certain someone, had effected him in such away he was now willing to apologise for his wrong doings.

Tentatively, Olive threw a glance over to the boy beside her. His face was twisted in an uncomfortable manner and Olive noted that his current expression was the most emotive she had ever seen him. It was hurting his pride to apologise to her, so much so that it had effected the air between them and made the atmosphere just a little more heavy.

"I shouldn't have spoken to you the way I did – I'm sorry."

Instantly, Olive felt awkward and was unsure what exactly had just happened. Not only was Enoch apologising for being inconsolable, he was apologising for what the nasty words he had said and Olive would have never expected that from him of all people. Enoch being mean was like the sun rising each day - it was a given, so for him to atone for his hostility derailed her from her pertinent thoughts. The longer they walked in silence, the denser the arduous atmosphere grew and after a pregnant moment, Olive was so uncomfortable that she was forced to say something to lighten the mood.

"But I thought you were a meanie?" Olive joked, grinning mischievously at his with nervous eyes as she turned to look at him properly. His face softened back to its expressionless state under her grin and he stared back at her fervidly for a moment before he shifted his focus towards the ground in front of him. Olive sensed there was more to come and, while he no longer looked in pain, she suspected his lack of a quick witty reply was enough to indicate he was still feeling weary.

"Oh I still am, just -"Enoch gave out a apprehensive sigh before continuing, "maybe I don't want to - be so mean that is - where you are concerned."


	11. Of Friendship and Dates?

"Oh I still am, just -" Enoch gave out an apprehensive sigh before continuing, "maybe I don't want to - be so mean that is - where you are concerned."

"What do you mean?" Olive furrowed her brow and looked up at him curiously.

He sensed she was expecting something major from him, something perhaps he wasn't willing to ask. Enoch had already figured out that Olive was somewhat interested in him romantically, whether that be just wanting to have a few stolen kisses here and there or something more, but Enoch was not eager to give that. He knew he liked being around her, he knew she made him feel better whether she was around but if that was only friendship or not he did not know.

Biting his lip slightly under her watchful eye, Enoch chose his words carefully, selecting each of them so they purposely couldn't be read in any other way. "Well, I was thinking - how about you be my assistant."

"Aren't I already?"

Olive had caught Enoch off guard. She knew he was trying to say something else, and so did he. Assistant was too formal, even by his standards, and it was true that she basically already was that.

"Yeah sort of, just I'm giving you a title now." He managed to blunder out.

"Oh thank you..." Olive tried to sound grateful but the tone of disappointment was unmissable in her voice. As the two fell into silence once more, Enoch sensed Olive brighten up suddenly next to him, almost bouncing down the pavement as she strolled next to him. "Does this mean I'm now your friend?"

"If you'd like," Enoch sighed out of relief. He didn't want to ask her, or anyone for that matter, who asks someone to be their friend? The point was, whether his feelings for her were romantic or not, he'd was certain he was comfortable enough to refer to her as a friend, even publicly, and that was what he was attempting to propose to her.

"So, friend," Olive nudged his arm slightly with her elbow which he immediately began to overthink, human contact was still something he wasn't quite used to, "what's the plan for your birthday? Besides trying to avoid as many pleasantries as you can of course."

"Nothing."

"Nothing? Really?"

It was true, Enoch never did anything for his birthday, especially since he'd been in the circus. Once, long ago, he remembered his mother used to bake him a cake but that was as festive as he got. The only birthday tradition he had was grumbling at the various people who dared to wish him a happy birthday. Miss Peregrine was the only person he allowed to wish him that but he suspected he only let her because she was responsible for him and he'd much rather suffer through a birthday wish than be kicked out onto the streets again.

"Well I'm sure Miss P will try and make a bigger deal out of it that normal but even she knows not to do too much."

"You really don't want to do anything?"

He knew she wanted to suggest something that she wanted to do with him, and, for some reason that he couldn't quite work out, he went along with it. "What's there to do?"

"Well," Olive started nervously, her head was drawn towards the gloves she was anxiously playing with down in front of her. "Maybe - maybe you'd like to do something other than work that day - as friends of course."

"Er..."

Part of him wanted to, part of him didn't. On one hand, he'd get to spend time with Olive, get to know her in a situation that wasn't work related. However on the other, he'd be forced to chat with her, in typical Olive fashion she'd ask questions, she'd get to know much more than he would be willing to tell her otherwise. Also, there was the matter of how much he hated celebrating his birthday which he doubted even Olive could make him tolerate that.

"Come on Enoch, it would be fun - we can invite Victor, and Hugh if he agrees to be nice."

More people was not what he wanted, and it had nothing to do with him wanting to have Olive all to himself, which he most certainly was not thinking about, at all. Whatever part of him before had wanted to go along with her plans was now put off. Enoch O'Connor did not like people.

"I think I'll pass thanks. I wouldn't like all the attention."

Before Enoch had a chance to protest some more, Olive had quickened her step and was in front of him, stopping him dead in his tracks. A hand had been gracefully laid on his arm, and she was grinning up at him with quiet confidence. "Just me then - what do you say?"

Enoch couldn't object to it any longer, just seeing her so happy at the thought of doing something was enough to make him cave. He was getting weak minded, especially where Olive was concerned, and he was beginning to think it was a problem.

"Fine. Just don't make too big of a deal okay?" Enoch groaned, frowning a little in the hope to convey to her how displeased he would be if she made it a monumental event.

"I promise - ooh this will be so much fun!"

-

He wasn't quite sure how she'd done it but somehow, someway, Olive had managed to convince Enoch to go on a date with her. Well, a least he thought it was meant to be a date. Two people together, alone, and for something as noteworthy as his birthday certainly sounded like a date. Even a dunce could sense that it was not meant to be a platonic event. She had asked him on a date, just without the label, and he had conceded so he couldn't exactly get angry with her for it.

Agreeing to her proposal had been a spur of the moment decision and one he didn't regret. Usually he hated birthdays and wished for each of his to pass by unnoticed but he knew that this year would be different - he wouldn't be receiving the annual letter from his mother. Before he had taken it for granted, some years choosing not even to read it until days after, and that year was going to be no different except then his mother got sick and it changed everything. Even Enoch was aware that someone as stoic as he would be affected that year so he was in need of a distraction, and Olive provided the perfect one.

He could never think straight when he was around her. All the thoughts in his head when she was around was in relation to her and it only took listening to her talk about her day to make him forget all his problems momentarily. She was like a drug, one he slowly found himself getting addicted to.

"Happy birthday, Enoch!" Olive practically sang as she found him the morning of his birthday. He'd already been to breakfast (he suspected she had just come from there herself), and had decided to spend some time milling around the camp to avoid work which he promised Olive he wouldn't do.

"Hmmm."

Her gloved hands wrapped around his wrist firmly and she flashed him a beaming smile before pulling him along with her. "Come with me."

Enoch noted that her hands stayed grasping him long after he had complied and followed her but he decided he was reading too much into it, he'd been noticing her movements far too much lately.

"Thank heavens you didn't turn eighteen earlier. I wouldn't like to think of you going off to France to fight." Olive chatted away happily, drawing him out of his thoughts that she was so skilled at doing.

"Still could – It's still the law. If they start fighting again, I'll probably have to go."

While the fighting had stopped and the war recently had been won, conscription was still in place. In the weeks leading up to his eighteenth birthday, Enoch had anxiously read every single newspaper he could get his hands on to check for any news that would indicate the war was going to start up again. As much as he obsessed over death, he wasn't wanting to experience so much of it first hand - he'd heard the horror stories and he certainly didn't fancy reliving them.

"Well, let's hope they don't." She said sincerely while coming to a holt in front of her caravan. Without hesitation she swung open the door and stepped in without looking back at Enoch.

He thought that she must mean for him to stay outside and wait as surely she wouldn't be inviting him into her caravan to be alone with her. Miss Peregrine, while being a very loving and gracious guardian, did have rules and one of the most prominent and well enforced was the rule that boys and girls over a certain age couldn't be in a trailer alone together. Enoch had lost count of the amount of times Hugh had gotten a scolding for sneaking around with Fiona and he was certain from Hugh's embarrassment that he did not wish to encounter the same fate.

Almost as if she was reading his thoughts, Olive called out from inside the caravan. "You can come in you know, Miss P won't care if you're in here for a second."

Enoch sighed, Casting a nervous glance around the grounds to check if Miss Peregrine and her sharp eyes were watching them and once he gave himself the all clear he reluctantly stepped through the open door. For a moment he considered closing the door behind him but he knew then people would definitely get suspicious of them so he left the door as far open as it was possible. 

Olive's trailer was bright and colourful, and had a garish tone to it in comparison to his own dark and gloomy one. Enoch immediately felt out of sorts in his surroundings. Everything was just so happy and he was so - Enoch. 

Olive was standing by her impeccably made bed, a paper bag in her hands waiting for him. When she accepted he was comfortable enough in her space, she pushed the paper bag into his arms and grinned up at him excitedly. "I've got you something – well a couple of things."

Enoch should have guessed she of all people would have bought him a present for his birthday but the thought had never crossed him mind. He never got birthday presents. Not even his parents got him presents when he was living with them. Miss Peregrine had surprised him that morning at his own caravan by bringing him a present specially for his eighteenth and he was so moved that someone got him a present that he had yet to open it. However, in this situation he suspected Olive would not let him go until he opened it in front of her.

He glanced up at her apprehensively and was met with her attentive gaze. Her excitement was radiating out of her, so much so that he could tell watching him open it would give her more joy then anything she could possibly buy him.

"You shouldn't have." Enoch tried to muster as much candour as he could in his tone. He was touched by her gesture and understood that it was generous of her to go out and buy him something but even he knew that what he wished to convey often got lost in his usual grumpy tone.

"I wanted to." Olive replied earnestly while taking a seat on her bed, "I hope you like them."

Sensing that was his cue to sit down also, his eyes shifted around the room uncomfortably in the hunt for the chair he knew was probably in there and once he found it hidden behind him he slowly shuffled over to it and took a seat. Aware that she was watching him enthusiastically, Enoch peered into the bag to see not one but two presents neatly wrapped in brown parcel paper. Giving him one present was overwhelming, two was just too much; Olive was too nice for her own good.

Deciding to unwrap the smaller of the two first, Enoch pulled out a present that felt suspiciously like a book. Opening it only confirmed his theory and he was surprised at how intricate the cover was, it felt expensive and probably cost Olive more money than she should be spending on him. Flipping over the book to see the title, Enoch smirked. Frankenstein. He supposed the relatedness of the book was quite amusing.

His eyes flashed up to meet hers and saw the pleased look that had appeared on her face upon seeing he liked what she had bought.

"Thought it was suitable - you know, you being quite the Dr. Frankenstein yourself."

Carefully placing the book on her nearby desk, Enoch went to retrieve the other present in the bag only to find it distinctly shaped like a bottle of alcohol.

"Rum?" He asked without even opening the present. It wasn't his drink of choice but it was the only alcoholic beverage he knew she had seen him with.

"Thought I should replenish your stock since I drank half of it."

"Thank you." He murmured absentmindedly as he unwrapped the bottle, not realising he had just vocally been nice to her until she pointed it out only moments later.

"See, manners aren't so hard to do are they?" Olive teased.

Snapping his eyes up, he growled at her sarcastically. "Oh ha ha."

Olive giggled at his sharpness which had more of an effect on Enoch than he'd care to admit. Just a few weeks ago she would have cowered at his blunt reply but she knew him now, she could comprehend his humour. He supposed it was quite pleasant to feel understood by someone. He'd never had that before.

Olive unexpectedly arose from her bed and Enoch caught himself staring at her, he couldn't help it, she was something worth beholding. She strode towards the door of the caravan and looked back at him. "You said you didn't want a fuss so I thought maybe we could go into town, get some tea or something. My treat of course."

"You don't have to pay." Enoch replied automatically, while he never was the nicest of people, he hated to think Olive was willing to spend even more money on him.

"It's your birthday! No one pays on their birthday! And anyway, let's get out of here before Miss P kills us." Olive insisted as she hovered by the door, waiting for Enoch to move.

The threat of Miss Peregrine finding him in her caravan unsupervised was enough to get Enoch on his feet. "Yes let's. She'd kill me at least, she likes you too much."

"You know that's not true. Miss P has a soft spot for you."

"Yeah well, she's only being nice because she knows my mum died." He didn't realise he'd mentioned his latest bereavement until a few seconds after it had left his lips. He'd made a promise to himself not to mention that today and he was mentally kicking himself for being so careless.

Olive fell silent for a moment as she held open the door for him and Enoch knew she was having to comprehend the un-Enoch thing he had said. He didn't talk about anything personal, ever, but just then he had done and without thinking. Olive seemed just as weirded out as he was.

"I'm surprised you told her." She eventually responded.

He thought about it for a second before bravely deciding to tell her more, if they were going to officially be friends, she should probably know these things. "I had to. She cornered me about it a few weeks ago– could tell I wasn't being myself and wanted to know what was wrong." 

"Oh so your mum got sick then?"

Enoch sighed as he watched Olive lock the door to her caravan, he expected there to be questions but he didn't really want to answer them. "Yeah, TB."

"Oh."

Remembering that Olive was like a dog to a bone when it came to information about him, Enoch quickly changed the subject before she could retain any more information from him. "Can we please talk about something else, this is supposed to be a party – my party – after all. Not a counselling session."

"Of course, sorry." She smiled apologetically at him and set off in the direction of his trailer to drop of the presents she had bought before they headed into town.


	12. Of Christmas and Distractions

They were sat in a fancy tearoom in the town, well into their second cup of tea, and happily chatting away like every other person there when he realised it. Well, Olive was chatting, he just grunted every now and then in reply to her excessive ramblings. In some weird paradoxical way, Enoch had been too enthralled to listen properly to her words. The way she gently pushed a strand of hair behind her ear when it was becoming a bother, how she smiled slightly at her own anecdotes, the blush that appeared on her face whenever she realised he had been staring at her.

Enoch O'Connor had been pining like a loved up fool and he didn't care who had seen it.

He wasn't ready to admit it out loud yet, he was only just willing to say it to himself. Previously he had denied it, even when he had kissed her he had explained it by not being able to understand how emotions worked, but he couldn't anymore. On that chilling winter's morning, sitting in the warm comforts of the tearoom, it had dawned on him that he liked Olive, and more than just as friends as he had previously thought.

He wasn't quite sure what had triggered it. Maybe it was the old lady who, upon them entering the shop, had commented that they made such a lovely couple that got him thinking, or maybe it was all the tea fumes that made him go a bit loopy. Either way he didn't care, it had become stuck in his mind and that was all he was able think of. Somehow, he had always known that he fancied Olive - he would have always admit she was attractive but he didn't distinguish that finding someone attractive was not the same as wanting to be with someone and that was exactly what he felt for Olive. It was only sitting across from her that day that he had realised his own feelings.

And it was because of that epiphany that he found himself a few days later, primping himself in the mirror before he saw her. Primping. Enoch O'Connor did not primp, it was not in his nature but he was doing it anyway, just to impress her. Nervously, he ran a comb through his hair, parting it at the side as he tried his best to tame his unruly curls. He needed a haircut, his hair was getting much too long but there was no time for that now, he just had to work with it.

It was Christmas day, time for their annual Christmas dinner, and Enoch was anxious to see her again. He supposed he could count working together the previous few days as seeing each other but they never talked properly, they just enjoyed each other's company while only saying things that were necessary to what they were doing. But there was no work that day, the show had been cancelled and instead they were having a party, one in which he was certain Olive would expect him to talk to her at and Enoch certainly felt the pressure from the inevitable socialisation.

Enoch took one last look in the mirror and huffed - this was as good as he was going to get - before straightening out his clothes a little to look even more presentable. Without further ado, he opened up the door to his caravan and set out towards the mess tent in the brisk afternoon air.

He'd only got out of bed once that day to help set up the table as they had be allowed to sleep in bur when he had been helping out, he had tried to catch a glimpse of her but he tried in vain as the redhead was nowhere to be seen. The lack of being with Olive that day had increased the pressure of seeing her again so much so that his palms had become clammy on his walk over to where he knew she would be. Enoch couldn't believe what was happening to him, he was becoming one of the people who annoyed him the most - a lovesick buffoon - and all because he had realised he finally liked a girl after years of feeling nothing.

His breath caught in his throat when he caught a glimpse of her for the first time that day inside the tent. The dress she was wearing was royal blue and fit her soundly, contrasting brilliantly against the redness of her hair and Enoch suddenly became more nervous than he'd been before.

Stop it Enoch, you're being stupid.

It wasn't long after he stepped into the tent that Miss Peregrine glided over to him with a glass of red wine, pushed the alcohol into his hands and guided him towards the seat that was clearly destined for him. In a perfect world he would have been sat next to Olive, or at least in her vicinity but instead he had been placed as far away from her as he could, opposite Miss Peregrine herself at the head of the table. In a way he was glad she was far away from him, Enoch could hardly talk to her without blundering like an idiot so those previous few days he had spent most of his time with her in silence, not daring to speak up in case he made a fool of himself.

Enoch could tell she had figured out something had changed about him - about them. She always lingered around him, her hands cautious not to touch him even in the slightest, her glances towards him held a new meaning than before. Maybe she knew he'd finally realised he fancied her or maybe she didn't. Either way Enoch was certain she was aware of the newfound tension between them which had been created by his awkwardness. He thought the whole ordeal was quite amazing, how the way they acted around each other was heightened and changed so dramatically in just a couple of days. He supposed he'd finally could say he understood the magic behind romance.

The meal itself was lovely as usual. Everyone chipped in with the meal at Christmas, some with the cooking, others with the preparation like Enoch had. It really was a family affair and one Enoch silently loved being a part of. He always settled down at Christmas, the feeling of his walls that he had painstakingly built become momentarily felled was relieving - he always forgot how much effort it took him to keep them up. Yet, because of this newfound relaxation (and perhaps a little wine) Enoch found himself daring to cast a few looks in Olive's direction. She was enjoying herself, laughing at Horace's pompous and intrinsic stories and Hugh's constant jokes, drinking the same wine as him. Occasionally she would catch him looking and would snap her head away like she had seen something inappropriate but the obvious smile that appeared on her face suggested she quite liked his attention. Then she'd look up only a few minutes later and see him again, and then the same thing would happen. Even when Emma nudged her when she was smiling a little too much to hide it and whispered something that was clearly about him, the two continued what they were doing. It was a repetitive cycle they couldn't seem to get out of, one that he found himself enjoying.

It was clear when he stood up for the first time after the dinner that the alcohol had gone to his head. He was far from drunk, just a tad merry, but for Enoch that still had a big change in his actions. They always hung around after dinner, listening to the radio and mingling with each other as a real family would do at Christmas and Enoch willingly tolerated the socialisation. In one instance he caught himself smiling at Claire's excitement and he didn't seem to care about the softening in his demeanour. He could allow himself one night to feel like a problem free person again, he had the rest of the year to be gloomy, he could take the night off. However, despite his newfound unwinding, Enoch still couldn't gather up the courage to walk over to the other side of the tent and talk to the girl he'd been watching for almost the entire evening.

"You're being creepy." Victor nudged his side but Enoch paid him little attention. He was too busy staring to comprehend what his friend had said.

"Hmm - What?"

Enoch finally drew his attention towards the conversation and couldn't help but feel a little annoyed at Victor for his disruption. Turning to scowl at the other boy, Enoch was surprised to discover an uncharacteristic wide grin and a look of amusement on his face.

"I said you are being creepy."

"I'm not." He bit back, clearly the festive mood hadn't had much effect on his sharp tongue.

"You've been starting at her all day, go up and talk to her if you are that interested."

"I am not staring at Olive."

"I never said it was her." Victor teased as he clapped him on the shoulder, giving him a gentle (well, gentle for Victor) nudge in the direction of Olive.

Straightening out his shirt for what seemed like the thousandth time that evening, Enoch reluctantly made his way over to her knowing that if he didn't, he'd spend the rest of the night being teased by Victor and probably Hugh too if word got round to him. She was chatting away to Millard as he approached her which made Enoch slightly jealous, even with the knowledge that there was nothing going on between them he didn't like her spending time with someone other than himself, he was possessive to a fault. Millard saw him approaching first and quickly excused himself to her to avoid talking to Enoch whom he was still slightly frightened of. For a second Olive looked lost and confused, unsure of why Millard suddenly departed but then she saw him nearby and a wave of happiness visibly ran through her.

"Hey," Olive's face lit up as she spoke and Enoch couldn't help but feel pleased at her enthusiasm, "Dinner was so nice don't you think?"

"Yeah." His response was short due to his nervousness as he came to a halt in front of her, watching her expressions with a careful eye. He didn't know how she was going to act and was attempting to read every little facial movement to try and understand the situation better.

"You know she would have enjoyed it more if someone hadn't been distracting her the entire time."

Enoch audibly groaned when he heard Emma's playful remark towards him and felt the inevitable redness appear in his cheeks as he watched her walk past on her way to talk to Miss Peregrine in the corner of the tent.

"Emma." Olive cautioned, throwing a rare glare towards her friend which promptly sent her away.

"Sorry-"

"-Just forget it." They both blurted out at the same time.

Awkwardly, he looked down at the almost finished glass of wine in his hand and he became aware of how hot his hands felt holding it. Using the wine as a distraction, he attempted to further the conversation and said the first tangible sentence that appeared in his head. "It's quite a cool evening tonight."

"Never thought you were one for small talk."

"I'm full of surprises." Enoch cringed the moment the words left his lips. That was way too corny to sound normal and it was something he wouldn't likely forget for a long time.

"Oh really?" Olive smirked softly, glancing up at him tentatively.

He had tried to flirt with her and she had flirted back, it was undeniable even to someone who did not understand social interactions like Enoch, but it had completely caught him off guard. All he could do was freeze and stare at her like she was an alien, his jaw tight as his brain hurriedly shot his thoughts around to try and find a response - he couldn't. Instead he just continued to watch her as the panic rose in her eyes, he could sense she thought she had pushed him too far.

"I wanna be sick." Hugh smugly called over from his position by Fiona, one arm slung over her shoulders as he knowingly eyed the two of them up. Hugh's teasing came as a blessing in disguise for Enoch as it pulled him away from the inner turmoil that was haunting his mind.

"Piss off Hugh." Enoch moaned before turning back to Olive, a little more confident now the pressure that had been building had been diminished, "Why are people so intruding?"

"Because they like to tease other people. Especially you. You are so easy to get worked up."

"I haven't noticed." Enoch attempted to joke but, being his monotonous self, he found it very hard to do so; His tone rarely changed beyond moody and it wasn't going to then.

"You know, maybe if you weren't such an inanimate corpse all the time people wouldn't tease you so much."

"Maybe I like being an 'inanimate corpse'." He huffed amusedly while admiring the way she coyly smiled at her words.

"I'm not saying change - just giving you an explanation." Olive explained in a sudden worried tone as Enoch chastised himself for not expressing himself clear enough, "Besides, you wouldn't be you without your coldness and I... kinda like you as you are."

One of Enoch's eyebrows shot up at the sincerity of her remark but he only had a moment to ponder what she had said before the two were interrupted for the third time that night and this time by a very annoyed looking Horace.

"Please don't start kissing now, I've seen enough from Hugh and Fiona to last me a lifetime."

Both Enoch and Olive frowned at the tired looking boy sitting at the table with an over excited Claire. He'd been in a sulk since Miss Peregrine had declared he was still too young to have any wine when he'd politely asked her after dinner. If it was meant as a joke, the tone was lost through Horace's grumpiness, and Enoch began to feel the rise of rage in his chest again. As much as he quietly appreciated the family he had made for himself, he hated each and everyone of them right then for disturbing the conversation he was having with Olive. He had been attempting to do it all day, for a few days really, and the moment he built up the courage to do so he was attacked by almost everyone in the room.

Throwing a quick death glare to anyone who was staring at them (and making note of those who weren't so he could remember who to be nicer to them in the future), Enoch decided he needed to get out of the tent and that he desperately wanted to bring Olive with him.

"Do you - do you want to get some fresh air?" He mumbled without looking at her, his feet playing with a piece of muck on the floor that someone must have trampled in to the tent on their way to dinner.

"Yes." Olive replied almost immediately making Enoch smirk. She was eager, too eager perhaps but enough to make him appreciate being wanted.

Passing a smiling Victor on their way out of the tent, the two left their glasses on the table and walked away from their friends knowing that the second they were out of earshot they would be the main topic on everyone's lips.

Stepping out into the dark evening breeze, the chill in the air hit him like a tonne of bricks and he was reminded of the warm coat he had misplaced somewhere in the tent he had just left. "It's bloody freezing."

"I never really feel the cold." Olive replied quietly.

"No wonder, you are basically made of fire."

Before he knew what was happening, Olive had gravitated closer to him in a bid to share her warmth and Enoch noted how she tried her hardest not to touch him despite their close proximity. As the two began to stroll, he debated wrapping his arm around her to pull her closer to him as he was rather cold but the monumental nature of the action prevented him from being brave enough to do so.

Cautiously, he glanced over to her and was surprise to find a familiar pair of blue eyes looking right back at him, making him blush once more. He almost felt like laughing. It was getting ridiculous. They weren't ten years old and discovering their first crush - but they were certainly acting like it. When he saw her smiling at him he had to turn his head towards the ground, knowing that if he saw her looking so happy he would want to kiss her. But the thought was already in his head, and it took a hold there until it was consuming all of his thoughts.

Enoch had to remind himself that it was natural for his mind to drift to that place. They were alone. It was dark. They were two hormonal teenagers. Feeling that way was normal. However, before long he could no longer take the intensity of the thought in his brain and he stopped suddenly in his tracks nearby the side of Horace's fortune tent, he vaguely heard her call out his name in confusion as he turned to face her. Without hesitation (he blamed the alcohol), Enoch leaned forward, eyes shut, and closed the gap between them. He was far from an expert when it came to kissing, he'd only ever kissed her before, but he had enough faith in biology that his body would work it out, so he just went for it and hoped for the best.

Her lips were soft, softer than he'd remember, and immediately they reciprocated the pressure of his. Enoch noticed how the corners of her lips drew tighter forming a smile against him and he couldn't help but feel overjoyed that he could make her so happy. He had made her smile. Her hands hovered over his chest, nervous to touch him, so he pulled himself closer for her, relishing the feeling of her warm hands burning into his torso. Instinctually his hands creeped their way around her waist and he angled his head better, kissing a little harder than before. It only took a few seconds for her hands to get tangled in his hair and, when he felt her gently pulling the strands in a bid to get him to kiss her with more force, he lost himself in the moment. 

Everything was Olive, and it was wonderful.

He was not aware that they were moving until he felt the thud of her back colliding with one of the many wooden posts that held up the tent, forcing every inch of their bodies against each other. Pulling his lips away from hers slightly to take in an actual breath instead of the small ones stolen in between kisses he had been managing before, he heard her begin to giggle and the air she expelled tickled his cheek. It was foreign, but it was nice and he knew he'd try and remember this moment for the rest of his sorry excuse of a life.

It only took Enoch a few seconds to reconnect the two of them again, eager for more. Briefly, he thought this was the greatest moment of his life, wrapped up with Olive, kissing her with more passion than he'd ever displayed but part of him knew it was too good to be true - something had to go wrong... and it most certainly did.


	13. Of Blood and Comfort

The scream rang like a siren in darkness. It was loud and bloodcurdling, and carried a warning that, without even knowing what it was, sent a shiver down her spine.

They pulled apart in an instance, breathing slightly heavier than usual, waiting for any other signs they were in immediate danger. While she began to unwrapped herself from him in case she needed to act quickly, he had increased his hold on her and the nervous hands that was situated at her waist were gripping on to her hard. It was impossible not to notice the absence of light which she knew to have been there only moments previously, and, despite the rational part of her brain trying to reassure her that the small electricity generator must have died, she became increasing aware of the trepidation that had developed inside of her. To try and keep herself calm, she attempted to keep a steady gaze on Enoch as he anxiously looked around them, his eyes trying to cut through the darkness to see what was happening. She meditated on how his face had tensed up, how his hair was sticking out at odd ends thanks to her own handiwork, how his eyes would react to every little noise they heard.

And then it came again.

It was a girl, a girl who sounded scared. What shocked her the most was how close the source was to them, they were at least only at the other side of the camp. A thought ran through her that maybe she would have seen something if she hadn't been so preoccupied with Enoch, maybe she could have prevented whatever had caused the girl such pain. Without looking back at her, Enoch took off in the direction of the scream, grabbing her gloved wrist in the process and pulled her along with him. His grasp was tight and Olive could sensed he was feeling the same anxiousness and guilt as her. Something was wrong, seriously wrong.

Emerging out into the open, they found the others quickly making their way towards the source of the noise, equally as panicked as they were. If they had noticed her breathlessness or Enoch's ruffled hair, they seemed too distracted to care. The scream had come from the boys caravan area, and the two of them joined up with the others on their way over to it, carefully peering out into the darkness around them to find any clues to what was happening. Hesitantly, Olive reached out the hand that was not already occupied by Enoch and gently placed it on the forearm of the arm that was holding her wrist. The sudden lack of contact from him had unnerved her - one minute they were as close as possible, the next they were barely touching. She wanted to feel him next to her, to be near to the person who had just made her head spin, to know she could protect him if she needed to.

"He's gone!" A sobbing Bronwyn called out as she stumbled out of the shadows, making the vast majority of the party jump. Worryingly she appeared to have something red on her hands which undoubtedly looked like blood.

Beside her Enoch tensed. Out of the corner of her eye she saw his face sour and his hand around her wrist suddenly increased its pressure making it almost painful. Instantly, she understood what he was thinking and she glanced around the group hurriedly. Victor was not with them. Victor was the 'he' Bronwyn was talking about.

"What do you mean? What's wrong?" Miss Peregrine cautioned the crying girl sternly, placing a firm grip on her shoulder to force her to look at her. She knew the urgency of the matter, she could comfort the girl later, but first, she needed to make sure they were all safe and that included being momentarily apathetic.

"He's hurt." Bronwyn managed to blunder out through her sobbing and that was all that was needed to inform them all of what had happened.

Victor was hurt. Olive didn't know how or why or the extent of the damage but it was enough to make her entire body defensive. If someone was still out there, they'd be killed in the instant they came near to her. These were her family, her best friends, the person she thought of as more than that, and she was sure as hell not going to let whoever the attacker was come anywhere near them.

Miss Peregrine dismissed Bronwyn after giving her a reassuring glance and the girl ran into the outstretched arms of Emma. Their guardian straightened herself up and threw a cautionary look towards them all, before she turned and disappeared into the darkness.

"Stay away children!" She called back to them and then she was gone from their sights completely.

Olive was aware of Enoch's desire to follow after her but she knew he wouldn't - Miss Peregrine's word was final, even to someone as rebellious as Enoch. Instead, he restrained himself and begun to breath deeply, concentrating on his thoughts as he stared out to the place where Miss Peregrine would return. It was only then she noticed that her hands were burning hot. There were no flames but she recognised that they were probably scorching the inside of her gloves and, more importantly, Enoch's arm. Instantly she removed her hand from him and tried her best to wriggle her other away from his. He must have felt it, how could he not? But for some reason he still held on, resilient to remain in contact with her even if it was uncomfortable to him. Eventually, she managed to remove herself from him but she couldn't help but notice how his hand automatically reached back out for hers in the dark like he needed her. As much as she wanted to reestablish the contact she knew she couldn't, she was dangerous and could do him some serious damage if she didn't regain control of herself.

"I'm burning." She whispered, determined for only him to hear her. His eyes drifted over to her for a second, acknowledging that he'd heard her before returning back to his vigil.

Her eyes were only just beginning to adjust to the lack of light and she begun to notice what was going on around her. Hugh must had watched their exchange and gave a sad smile when her eyes met his. Horace was only a few feet from them and mumbling something under his breath about his dreams. Emma and Fiona were trying their hardest to question Bronwyn about what had happened but didn't seem to be having any luck. It was clear that all of them were frazzled, the people who had been drinking had quickly sobered up, and the merriment that was with them only minutes before was well and truly gone.

Her head was filled with different possible scenarios. Was it one of those serial killers that they sometimes heard about on the radio? Had he done whatever was wrong with him to himself? Had the evil scientists Miss Peregrine warned them all about finally turned up? Olive was well aware that many people out their wanted to hurt them, be it scientists looking for peculiar bodies to experiment with or people who gained pleasure from hurting others, some people were just evil and there was no denying it.

Just when Olive was considering going off to see what was happening herself, a tentative Miss Peregrine walked out of the shadows with fear in her eyes. Olive's eyes darted behind her, staining herself to see if Victor was with her but there was no one to be found. However, there was something about her lack of haste that implied they were in no more danger. Whatever had happened was over.

"What's happened?" Hugh asked nervously. He was scared to know the answer, they all were.

"Victor's missing and I think he has been injured." She solemnly replied with a sense of urgency in her voice. For a second she stood in silence, composing herself as the rest of them waited for her plan of action.

"Enoch, Hugh - try and get the generator back up and working. Horace and Millard, stay here and keep a look out for any intruders. Emma, Fiona, come with me." Miss Peregrine rattled off the commands like bullets, striding over to Olive as she did so. Olive quickly gazed at Enoch as he shuffled off away with Hugh, a part of her speculated if that would be the last time she would ever see him but she quickly suppressed that thought as she was met with her guardian's concerned face. "Take the others to the big tent, and start a fire. We will be sleeping in there tonight. Here," the keys she kept on her belt at all times were placed in Olive's hands and she immediately felt the influence of the object. "Go get everyone's bedsheets... cushions... comfortable things."

And with that Miss Peregrine glided off with Emma and Fiona trailing behind her to check the parameter for Victor or any intruders. Olive felt no shame with being given the responsibility of taking care of the younger ones for she knew she was chosen to do it because she was their best hope. She had the most destructive power, she could protect them effectively. In many ways she had been given the most important role of all.

"Come on girls." Olive motioned for Claire who had been slowly making her way closer to her to come with and made her way over to a still crying Bronwyn and guided her along with them. The two younger girls tried to take a hold of Olive but she sadly refused being too aware of the heat her hands were radiating.

Carefully avoiding Victor's caravan, Olive and the girls had managed to collect as many blankets and cushions as they could find before they found themselves making their way over to the last of the boy's caravans - Enoch's. She knew she was being stupid but there was something about going into his caravan - into his space, that made her feel uneasy. She'd never been in there before, she'd never even seen a glimpse inside of it, but now she had to and she didn't want to. There was a reason Olive had never been in there before and that was that Enoch did not want her - or anyone - there and it felt wrong doing so.

With Claire and Bronwyn by her side carrying as many blankets as they could, Olive restlessly identified the correct key to his door and swung open the door. His caravan was sparse, with only the bare minimum of furniture and decoration and there was a distinct smell of preservative chemicals lingering in the air from all the jars of hearts that were stacked against one wall of the room. It was so distinctly Enoch that Olive felt like an intruder in his space so she moved hastily to retrieve the blankets and pillows from his unmade bed. She briefly noticed the open Frankenstein book that she had given to him days previously as she scurried her way back to the girls that had remained outside.

It wasn't long before the three of them had collected as much as they could and managed to collapse all the chairs in the tent and she set to starting a fire while Claire cuddled Bronwyn as she cried. Despite the sense they were no longer at risk, the three of them were tense as they waited for the other to join them. She prayed Enoch's long absence was because of him not being above to understand what had gone wrong with the generator and not because he had been hurt. Thoughts of Enoch lying in the frost covered ground, bleeding out, plagued her head and she tried her best to push them away. She needed to stay alert, for the girls at least, and thinking about all the ways Enoch could be in pain was only making her distracted.

It was only when she heard the familiar hum of the generator and the lights around the camp flickering back to life that she allowed herself to breath calmly once more. Enoch was okay.

She had to fight back the desire to run over to him the moment he stepped foot in the tent. Not only were they in public but she wasn't quite sure if she could do that yet. They had only just kissed again, albeit the kissed was very romantic, but she had no clue where the two of them stood - Enoch was a hard book to read. Instead she chose to smile at him, to let him know that she understood how he felt in an action.

It must have been awful for him. His mother dying, issues with his father that she didn't know much of coming back into focus, whatever it was going on with them on top of that, and now this. All happening in a number of days. She didn't know how he was coping. If it was her she wasn't sure what she would do so she greatly admired how levelheaded he appeared.

She knew he was hurting underneath his calm exterior and she was determined to do everything in her power to make it better for him. Even if that meant keeping her distance from him if he felt uncomfortable about people seeming them together (especially after what they had been doing earlier on that evening). 

He was in for a rough night, one she would wish to help him through in any way that she could.


	14. Of Fire and Recovery

"Victor will be alright." Olive gently whispered as she made her way over to him near the fire she had started much earlier that day. Enoch's head quickly spun to look at her as she clambered over Emma's sleeping body, sighing in relief to hear her voice, it had been getting very lonely sitting there with only his dark thoughts to preoccupy him.

It was long past midnight and the chill in the air had intensified dramatically from the absence of the sun so Enoch was thankful to have been placed on sentry duty at that hour as the job included sitting close to the fire. They were supposed to be keeping watch in pairs but he didn't have the heart to wake Hugh to remind him it was time for their shift. If Hugh was feeling anything remotely like the rest of them, Enoch suspected he'd only recently managed to fall asleep and he didn't want to disturb that peace he had found. So instead, he had spent his time staring into the fire as he waited for his watch to be over, watching as the flames danced and died, deep in thought about his life - his complicated feelings for Olive, the peril Victor was most likely in, how everyone he seemed to care about were slowly being taken away from him.

Therefore, he couldn't help but brighten up the second he heard her voice and he didn't hold back the slight smile that appeared on his face the moment he saw her. She always had been a good distraction and he wished for one then more than ever as he had begun to drown in his thoughts. He was in desperately need of a distraction for a little bit or else he would go mad.

As she sunk gracefully into the chair next to him, he turned to stare into the fire once more, his thoughts seeming a lot less dark now that she was sitting next to him. After a few awkward moments in which the both of them sat in silence, thinking of how to go about interacting with each other with the knowledge of their actions earlier on that night looming over them, Olive began her usual relentless chatter and immediately Enoch relaxed into his chair, relieved that he hadn't ruined everything between them. They were still them, she still acted the same and hadn't been deterred by his wandering hands earlier.

He didn't regret it like the last time he kissed Olive, in fact he was quite thrilled by the idea of the same events repeating themselves, but he couldn't help but notice how bad the timing was. Victor was still missing, Miss Peregrine still outside the tent searching for him, and all Enoch could feel was schoolboy nervousness whenever he looked over at the redhead next to him. His best friend had disappeared, he was injured - perhaps dead - and all he could do was recollect how earlier that night he had kissed a girl properly for the first time.

He understood why he was acting that way. He was an ocean of problems at the best of times and he had the habit of clinging to things that help to keep him from sinking - his work, the pleasure he got from snarking at others, Olive. It was second nature for him to try and avoid his feelings as best as possible because when he couldn't hold on any longer, when he let everything go, he became a mess. It was a bad way of dealing with things, and he suspected it made him a lot worse for doing so, but he didn't want to start dealing with his sea of problems right then, not after what had happened. It was only when he noticed Olive had paused for a second before continuing her whisperings with a new tone that indicated to Enoch that he should be listening.

"I get that we were a little tipsy, and that you've been really stress recently - so have I really - and I want you to understand that I get why you did it and I don't mind."

He turned backed to her, watching as she found something to play with on her dress to comfort herself before moving to look at him to gage his response. Her anxious eyes were staring at him, burning into him like they were her hands and Enoch fell uncomfortable under her gaze.

He should have realised she wanted to talk about it - Olive wanted to talk about everything.

"What are you wittering on about?" He knew already but asked anyway.

"You know...what happened...earlier?" Olive forced out, her eyes resembling a startled rabbit's as her face pulled into a grimace. It was clear she had planned something to say and was not prepared for going of script.

For a moment he considered snapping at her for daring to break their unspoken agreement to not talk about it, he didn't want to discuss it, not then anyway. People were sleeping, he didn't want to raise his voice and he certainly didn't want to make Olive upset. Instead he bit the inside of his lip, holding back his sharp words as he worked on trying to sound as gentle as he could. "What about it?"

Olive's lips parted as if she was trying to say something but she couldn't. For a moment she shifted in her seat, pulling as far away from him as she could as she desperately searched for the courage to continue. Enoch was pleased to see he wasn't the only person who was finding their encounter awkward. It took her a few deep breaths before she managed to talk. "There's no ill feelings about it, we were drunk, it happened."

Drunk was an exaggeration, they had been tipsy at best, and despite all the negativity he lived his life with, he never once thought that Olive had hated him for what he had done. She appeared to enjoy it just as much as he had but maybe she had change her mind, maybe she was going to leave him too. Enoch wasn't quite sure what to say so he said nothing at all.

"Sorry I brought it up, it was bad timing, but I just couldn't talk to you pretending that it didn't happen." Noting his lack of response, Olive rambled nervously, releasing the words so fast that they were barely distinguishable.

"Fair enough." He swallowed. He figured that, while he had not asked or proposed anything to her, he should prepared himself for rejection. Truth be told, he wasn't sure he was ready for a relationship anyway, but it would have been nice to sort of be more than friends with her. Kissing her was nice, talking to her - sharing things he never told anyone - had been a great comfort to him and he would like it to continue but he was afraid now she would say they couldn't.

"It was a silly mistake-"

"-I never said that." Enoch surprised himself at how quickly the words flew out of his mouth to interrupt her. It was not a 'silly mistake', not to him anyway.

"No but you were thinking it..." Olive member quietly, looking over her shoulder to where a sleeping Claire had begun to stir after his sudden outburst.

A thought had escaped from his mountains worth of repressed feelings and suddenly he began to think about Victor. He'd barely pondered what had happened to his friend that night, he had tried his best to keep his mind occupied instead but for some reason in that moment all he could do was think about him. If he wasn't already dead (as morbid as a thought that was even for Enoch) he knew that if he didn't speak up and prevent this situation from playing out like Olive had imagined it in her head, Victor would surely murder him. Victor wanted him to do this.

"I wasn't... actually I quite liked it." He spoke softly, dropping his eyes from her to avoid her reaction. He was too nervous to look at her.

"Oh." Olive sighed before he felt her settle back into the chair closer to him.

Once more the two fell into silence both trying to figure out what was happening and what words to say. After what felt like hours, Enoch dared to glance back at her, hoping that he wouldn't find Olive boiling with rage. Instead she looked solemn, her face tight as she was deep in thought, staring blanking into the same fire he was only seconds previously. She wasn't angry, which Enoch took as a good sign, nor happy - she just looked puzzled.

Enoch let out a sigh he didn't realise he had been holding and dropped his head into his hands, concentrating on his breath to try and keep thought about Victor at bay. It had gone better than he had thought - she didn't leave, she didn't shout, but now they were in silence again and Enoch took that to mean she wasn't overly enthusiastic about the whole situation. 

"I feel rotten you know, I've been laying their all night when poor Victor is out their suffering thinking about how you must be regretting earlier."

As soon as he heard her voice, he automatically moved to face her once again, watching as she stared guiltily at him. She was feeling the exact same thing as him, their heads had been battling with the same thoughts all night, and all either of them had done was sulked about it instead of worrying about Victor.

"Well I wasn't exactly gonna come over and start talking to you about it here - with everyone around..." Enoch trailed off, his voice carrying his familiar monotone that was more of a sign as any that a weight had been lifted from him.

Enoch would never forget the coy smile that spread across her face at his words. Nor the way her hand reached out towards his calloused ones, sliding her fingers in between his as her familiar warmth encircled him. 

Victor was right, he needed this, he needed her.


	15. Of Protection and Americans

Her relationship with Enoch was as complex as she could ever imagine a relationship being - and she wasn't quite sure if what they had was classed as a relationship or not. They were together (whether that was officially or not she did not know), together enough that if he suddenly took an interest in any other girl she felt she would have the right to be angry at him. But at the same time they weren't, there had been no change in their daily interactions with each other, they weren't publicly acknowledging they were together. In fact, the most she had even seen him act towards her was a his constant staring and perpetual following. They hadn't kissed again yet, the most romantic advancement one of them had made had been the light placing of their hands on the other - be it his on her back, or hers on his arm - whenever the other was near. Yet, despite all this confusion, Olive could not stop thinking about that night and from the way he was acting, neither could Enoch.

With Victor missing and Miss Peregrine only appearing in camp early in the morning to check in on them before continuing her search, Enoch had become protective - possessive even - over Olive and often followed her wherever she went. It didn't really bother her, she knew he was doing it mainly for his own benefit as it gave him a piece of mind, so if it took her putting up with him for a few days while his nerves settled back down then she would.

"Your guard dog is back." Emma sung as she held up the ripped tent wall so that Olive could sew it closed. With Miss Peregrine gone and the show indefinitely cancelled, the children had taken to fending for themselves and the chores around camp which, after the shock of recent events in camp, got done in record breaking time as everyone wished to be preoccupied. They children had now taken to doing things around their home of sorts that were often neglected - the wood in Horace's tent that needed treating, the clock backstage that had been stuck on the same time for the best part of a year, and the hole she was currently repairing in the mess tent that Hugh had made accidentally by falling into it.

"He's just being protective." Olive replied nonchalantly, focusing on the task at hand. She didn't even need to turn around to confirm he was there, she knew he would be, and, from the light scraping sound she could hear, she very much suspected he was finally getting around to sanding the rough underside of the dining table which Claire aways caught herself on. 

She was used to people commenting on Enoch's sudden interest in following her around. It was rather odd, even to her who understood him better than most of the others, but Olive appreciated his concern - it was his way (and a very strange way at that) of showing that he cared for her. But to others it just appeared creepy or unnecessary and like his intentions were less due to his concern but driven by his hormones.

"A bit too protective if you ask me - he's hovering."

Emma never had been very understanding when it came to Enoch which Olive had previously put down to Enoch's unreciprocated feelings towards the blonde until she learnt differently. To her Enoch was moody, with bitter words and cutting stares and an odd way of showing his appreciation for all of them. There was no doubt Enoch cared for them, anyone who saw Enoch interact with Claire for longer than a minute could see that, but Emma seemed to have a disliking towards Enoch that Olive had yet to understand. What was even more confusing to the redhead was Emma's growing hostility towards Enoch; before she had been quite excited at the idea of her fancying him but now Emma's attitude towards the young man could only be described as sour.

"Well with everything that's happened with Victor, he's just being cautious." Olive sighed, noting Emma's tone of disapproval. She was beginning to think Enoch was not the only one overly protective of her and she suspected Emma would act that way to whomever she started being romantically involved with but still, it would have been nice for her best friend to not have a disliking of her...whatever Enoch was to her.

"Yeah, about you. I don't see Enoch making sure something doesn't happen to me." Emma joked, the bitterness in her voice radiating through her words.

"It's just after Victor, I'm kinda the only one he has left." 

It was a sad thought but she knew it was true. Olive, while she wouldn't say he was open or particularly into sharing his feelings with her, was the only person she knew who was somewhat close to him emotionally. Him and Hugh were good friends despite how much they pretended to dislike each other but she didn't think the two of them were that close.

"Yeah, that and he fancies you." Emma smirked and glanced over at the other girl who had begun to blush like a embarrassed child. Olive knew that if Emma hadn't suspected that Enoch and her were more than just friends before, she would certainly think it now. "There's something you haven't told me, isn't there?"

Finishing off her stitching with a fine and secure knot, Olive glanced over her shoulder anxiously to see if Enoch was close enough to hear what they were saying. He was still in the process of sanding the table, crouched down at the opposite side from her position and it was clear from the concentration displayed on his face that he could not hear what the girls were talking about. Olive was relieved. The entire time she had known him she was aware of how much he hated being talked about and she certainly did not want to explain to Emma her feelings about their relationship with him overhearing, it would be too awkward.

"We are kind of together-ish...I'm not quite sure what we are." She whispered nervously, stepping down from the chair she was stood on and begun to pack the sewing kit back into its tin box. She was equally interested as she was scared to hear what Emma would say, she wanted Emma to be supportive or at the very least indifferent about her new relationship status, if not, Olive would be placed in a very uncomfortable position. 

For a moment Emma stayed silent, gently looking at the other girl as she digested the news. Her silence made Olive feel odd, she wanted to run away, she wanted to take back what she had said. Was Enoch okay with her telling someone? Would he hate her for it? Before Olive could sink further into the flurry of thoughts, Emma's sarcastic reply pulled her away. "Well, I must say I'm surprised Enoch can feel anything other that annoyance."

"Give it a rest Emma, he's gone through a lot lately." Olive flared up, surprising herself and Emma with her sudden sharpness. Maybe Olive was blinded by her feelings for him, maybe she was overlooking all negativity about him because of her hormones, but there was something about Emma's disapproval that did not sit right with her and she was sick of it. Emma's opinion on Enoch was fast deteriorating the closer Olive appeared to be with him, and, even though Olive would admit there was a period when he received the news about his mother that Enoch had become unbearable even to her, Enoch wasn't suddenly acting in a way that would inspired such hostility from her.

Reluctantly, Olive's eyes darted over to the boy who had suddenly stopped what he was doing and was looking over at the two of them apprehensively. From the slight confused look on his face, she knew he couldn't hear what they were talking about but he would have guessed from her abrupt change in body language and the raising of her voice that she was feeling uneasy. As their eyes met, he raised an eyebrow in question, indicating he was prepared to step in if necessary which she quickly declined with a smile. Without hesitation, Enoch returned to his work, surprising Olive that he trusted her enough that she could handle the situation.

Emma had been watching their exchange with a knowing smile on her face which she removed the second Olive's attention turned back to her. She had caught her though and Olive was instantly more confused than before - didn't Emma hate the idea of the two of them together?

Almost as if she could hear her thoughts, Emma sighed dejectedly. "Look, he's mean, he's rude, and he has a habit of making the girls cry with his words. It's not my fault you are too distracted by wanting to snog him that you can't see it - I mean, congratulations you are sort of together and stuff... I'm happy you're happy. It's kinda cute, I guess."

Her sentences were strung together so haphazardly that it was clear to Olive that there was something else at play. Whatever had gotten Emma so riled up at the idea of her and Enoch together was more than just her dislike of Enoch and her wish to protect Olive, and Olive was determined to understand what it was. Eyeing her suspiciously, Olive accepted her words and made a mental note to question Emma on it at a later date.

"Thank you...I'm sorry Emma, I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"It's fine, you're got the boy on your brain, it's a wonder you can even sew properly you seem that distracted." The blonde's tone had lightened since the last time she had spoke, but Olive could not figure out whether she had forced it to or not. "I'll lay off him a little alright? Besides, I don't want him to start yapping at me because I've upset you... Abe?"

Emma's head had spun towards the entrance of the tent suddenly and when Olive followed her line of sight to whatever had caught her off guard she was surprised to find a lanky boy standing in the doorway, not much older than the three of them, wearing clothes that only could be attributed to a foreigner. For a second, Olive thought it was Abe too, but it couldn't have been, he was long gone and this boy looked too confused to be him. Enoch had also picked up on the new presence behind him and had straighten up, squaring his shoulders and glaring at the boy like he was a danger to them all despite his lack of muscle.

"Excuse me, is - er - Miss Peregrine around?" The distinctive American accent filled the air in the tent and setting the three of them on edge despite the warmth his voice held. Victor was still missing, he had been attacked in his own trailer, and now, only days later, there was a stranger in their home asking for their guardian - it was impossible not to be immediately suspicious of him.

Emma was quiet, looking at the ground, and probably a little startled at thinking the boy was Abe after she was just about getting over missing him. Enoch certainly wasn't going to reply either, if Olive knew him correctly, he was planning a way to scare him off or even attack him if it was needed. Instead, the role of replying to him was left to her and she raised her apprehensive voice so it carried across the tent to him. "She's gone away for a while, can we help you?"

The boy looked scared that she had said something to him and his complete lack of confidence was enough to put her mind slightly at ease; if he was there to attack them, he certainly was not doing a good job at it. His hand immediately went to play with his hair as he nervously darted his eyes around the room, careful not to look at the three of them. "Erm, I'm not sure I should even be here."

"Me neither." Enoch growled aggressively and Olive swore she saw the boy flinch at his words. Enoch would scare anyone, even a murderer, but something about the boy's awkward nature and the fact he looked like he could faint if Enoch said anything else to him removed any doubts she had about him.

" _Enoch_." She warned, glaring at him until he softened his posture slightly. 

Remembering Miss Peregrine's lessons on how to deal with strangers, she immediately sent a comforting smile over to him in an attempt to make him feel a little welcome despite Enoch's domineering presence in the room. They were always taught to be nice to newcomers, they could be in need of help, they could be one of them and it was in all of their best interests to welcome them. No one could know about them, their powers must be kept a secret, there were too many people out their who could try to use them for bad and the second they refuse to help someone may be the second they become doomed to a life of animosity; It only took one scared and confused person with powers to lead whoever was after them back to them.

Finding her voice, it was Emma who followed Miss Peregrine's orders and extended a offer to the newcomer that would make him stay until they figured out what he knew and what he didn't, to figure out if her was like them or an enemy. "Well, I was just about to put the kettle on, at least stay for some tea so that you can decided whether you think you should be here or not."


	16. Of Jealousy and Fright

Enoch trusted Jacob - the American, the stranger, the person who turned up at just the wrong time - about as much as he trusted a politician (and that was not very much at all). He had come into their lives out of the blue, he had wormed his way into their kitchen without any resistance, and he already had Olive and Emma waiting on him hand and foot like he was a king. Everything about the situation Enoch found odd - he showed up days after Victor was taken from them, and he could not do anything about it since everyone else - including Olive - didn't see what he saw.

When Miss Peregrine had turned up that evening for dinner (he suspected that she had somehow sensed something was amiss at the camp and decided to return) and took the stranger into her room for an interrogation, Enoch couldn't be more pleased at having the boy removed from his sight. His face actually ached from how intensely he had been scowling at him but he couldn't help it, something about Jacob and his presence had made him boil with rage. The way Emma and Olive had graciously made him a pot of tea, the constant questions they asked, how Claire only had to be around him for a few minutes to feel comfortable with him; it was infuriating. This was his family, his friends, his girlfriend, and he sure as hell was not going to let him ruin it all with his American charm and his over the top awkwardness.

While Enoch had felt like he was doing a reasonable enough job at making Jacob feel threatened, he could tell that Olive had not appreciated it by the piercing look she sent him the moment Miss Peregrine had taken Jacob away. He supposed he should have known she would be a fan of his display from the way she had been doting over him but Enoch had not prepared himself for how intimidating Olive could be when she was annoyed. She scared him, something about her was just so daunting, and it had nothing to do with how dangerous her abilities were.

Leaving the rest of their friends sitting at the dinner table, waiting for Jacob's return or the proposal from Horace for an evening movie, Olive's chair flew back gracefully and the girl threw him another steely glare before walking out of the tent into the evening air. Enoch, although he would not deem himself to be an expert in all things Olive, knew that was his cue to follow her as he suspected she was planning on giving him a stern caution. The sarcastic comments he heard Hugh make under his breath as he followed her out only added to his defensive mood and he found himself growing increasing sour in the face as he tried his best to keep up with the redhead marching across the grounds.

"I don't trust him." He mumbled once he caught up, falling into step with her as he caught sight of the determined look on her face that only frightened him more. If he was going to get scolded, he thought he should at least have the first say in the matter.

"You don't trust anyone, Enoch." She sighed and without even having to look Enoch knew that she had rolled her eyes at him. Her pace steadily increased and he became more and more aware of where they were going and he wasn't quite sure he liked it.

"I trust you." He murmured lightly, almost as if he was scared to say it any louder. He had never admitted something like that to her, not to anyone, and he knew she understood him enough to know the significance of those words.

She hesitated for a moment and Enoch saw the quick flash of pride that overcome her at hearing his words before falling back to into her stern demeanour. It was evident he couldn't sweet talk his way out of this one.

"Well trust me enough when I say that Jake is not a threat to us."

With those words, Enoch was stumped. He couldn't exactly disagree with her there, he did trust her but his distrust towards Jacob was more poignant and Enoch was not a fool, he wasn't going to admit to the girl he liked that her opinion was invalid to him.

"I don't like him." He stated firmly, moving the conversation quickly away from how much or how little he trusted her.

"He's only been here a few hours and you're already acting like your hunting prey, give him a chance."

As Olive slowed her pace, she glanced over at him pleadingly, giving him one last chance to redeem himself before she would give him a strict telling off for being surly. Despite how much Enoch wished that the two of them agreed on the matter, he wasn't going to waver, not even for her.

"I don't like him."

"You've said." Olive sighed and came to a halt outside her trailer, swung open the door that she had stupidly left unlocked in their current state of panic and gave him a look that implied a lot of things which Enoch was not expecting. "Would you like the come in?"

She hadn't taken him outside of the tent to have a go at him (well, maybe a little bit), she had taking him away to get him alone and Enoch could only imagine what she was wanting from him.

"Er-"

"Relax, Miss Peregrine will be going again for the night soon." Her hand came to rest on him forearm and he stared at it like it was some sort of foreign object to him. He looked back up to her like she was a lunatic and he suddenly became more and more aware of the rising of his pulse. She wanted him alone, in her trailer, with their guardian distracted, with a bed...

"Oh. No. Not like that." Olive instantly removed her arm from him like she had touched something hot and her eyes widened a little in shock. Maybe he had misread her after all. "I just...it's cold."

"Right. Er, okay." He swallowed and nervously shoved his hands in his pockets as he followed her into her well cleaned trailer. Even though she had expressed to him that she wasn't planning on doing anything with him, he couldn't help but feel the pressure and significance about the two of them being alone in her trailer together.

On the other hand, Olive appeared very comfortable with the idea and without hesitation she closed the door firmly behind him and made her way over to the bed which Enoch was eyeing suspiciously to remove her shoes. "Jake's harmless."

"I don't think so." He said quickly, glancing around the room and concentrating on the decorative items in there to distract him from his other thoughts.

"Why are you so against him?"

"You lot are too willing to accept him, you were all chatting to him like you've known him for year, asking him questions like you were catching up. I'm just trying to be the rational one. When he earns my trust I'll be alright with him." Without thinking, Enoch threw Olive a glare as he snarled out his words which he instantly regretted. Steadily, he kept a watch on her as she tossed her shoes neatly to the floor and stood up, her eyes never leaving his once. 

"You're jealous aren't you?" She smirked and Enoch wanted the world to swallow him up right there and then.

Enoch was not jealous. He wasn't jealous of Jacob with his awkwardness and general nervous disposition. He especially wasn't jealous of the way Olive had looked at him, nor the way she had badgered him with questions about America all afternoon, nor how Olive had glared at him the moment he showed any sign of disliking the other boy. No, Enoch was not jealous in the slightest.

"Wha- no. Why would I be jealous of him?" His eyes narrowed as he tried to keep his cool, which was quite hard considering Olive was slowly creeping closer to him and he found the movement thoroughly distracting.

"He's not my type-"

"-I never said that-"

"-I prefer the more moody guys anyway."

Enoch took a deep breath in as Olive stopped within touching distance in front of him. He could feel her heat, the air between them was electric, and he suddenly remembered the intimacy of their current location. He wanted to kiss her and he wanted to push her away. 

"I just don't like him..." He trailed off, watching anxiously as Olive absentmindedly reached out a hand and began to fiddle with the thick wool of his jumper. He did not understand how she could be so relaxed when he was freaking out, how she was comfortable enough to reach out and touch him while knowing that usually when two young people interested in each other were left alone things happen that may be later regretted.

"Enoch, what exactly are we?" Her voice had an innocent curiosity to it that instantly made him want to reply to her but he couldn't. He didn't really know the answer himself.

She meant everything to him, and that scared him. In his head she was his girlfriend, his sweetheart, the object of his affection, but they hadn't agreed on that, he just started thinking of her that way. Yet, he didn't just want to outright declare her as his significant other, he still wasn't quite sure what she wanted from him, what he wanted, and he certainly did not want to scare her away.

"I don't really know." Enoch answered honestly and quietly, careful to remember how to breathe as he felt the increasing heat of her hand on his stomach that indicated to him that she was enjoying the closeness. He didn't mean to but somehow he begun to think about whether her hands rose in temperature whenever he was near or whether this happened to her all the time, how hot they would they feel if they were doing something else, something even closer...

"Me neither. I know I quite enjoy kissing you."

Enoch begun to feel hot like the heat from her hand had suddenly possessed his entire body and he started to notice how tight his shirt collar felt against his neck. "I figured."

"And I know that you're too scared to do it again." She smirked slightly, her face displayed her excitement as she moved closer to him, her hand coming up to rest beside the other and she looked up at him with adoration. She wanted to kiss him. She had been waiting all day much like he had been. She wanted to kiss him and all he could think of doing was fleeing.

Her skin was impossibly pale despite her hot temperature, her eyes too virtuous for what she was insinuating, and the pressure of her hands against him were slowly increasing as she moved closer to him. Enoch had no control over the places his mind was going to. He thought about the change in height difference since she had removed the small heels she always wore, he thought about the first time he met her and how she was all nervous and shy, he thought about how her dress was cut just a little too low for someone of her age...

Enoch felt like his body stop functioning for a moment, and the words he was trying so desperately to say were stuck in his throat waiting for him to muster up the nerve to say something. "I-I should really go." 

Without a pause Enoch had sprang away from her and her heat but he didn't feel any better about the removal of her from his immediate vicinity. He wanted her back, he wanted her to touch him again, and that thoroughly made him panic.


	17. Of Confrontations and Talks

She always knew that Enoch was a complicated young man - he was mysterious, he never willingly displayed any emotion and all the information she had about him was hearsay - but she did not expect him to rush out of her trailer leaving her standing confused the moment she attempted to kiss him. While the thought did rush through her brain, not one ounce of her doubted that he ran away because he didn't want to kiss her; he'd already kissed her before, and the constant following of her around the camp around the last few days was as good as a display of his affections as any. Yet for some reason he ran, and Olive wasn't quite sure what to do about it.

In her mind, she went over the situation again and again until she lost sense of what she was doing. Was it something she said? Something she had done? Was Enoch just being his usual self? For what seemed like hours she sat on her bed staring at the floor of her caravan with a furrowed brow, deep in though regarding what exactly had happened that night. She understood that Enoch was on edge after everything that had happened, and that the appearance of Jake suddenly had confused him even more but it wasn't like him to be skittish, not even in the slightest.

Before she could register what she was doing, she found her self outside of the door of his dark trailer, knocking her knuckles rapidly against the metal while calling out his name. The chilling January temperature was making even her feel cold and her knock sounded even more insistent that normal, desperate to be back in the warmth and the company of (probably a very grumpy) Enoch. Olive needed to see him. She wouldn't be able to sleep without finding out what was wrong with him.

"Enoch?" She called for the final time, louder than previously but she still heard no reply. Either Enoch was not in or he was avoiding her and Olive would have put money on it being the latter.

For a moment she considered leaving him alone since he clearly did not want to be disturbed but there was something nagging her in the back go her mind telling her that she had to stay, she had to try some more. She knocked once more before sighing, and, as it if was calling to her, her eyes found their way down to the doorknob and she stared at it curiously. She wondered if the door had been open all along. She wondered if Enoch, the most cautious person in the camp in that moment, had purposely left the door open for her. She wondered if that was his weird way of ensuring that she would come and talk to him without shattering his pride.

Her hand gravitated towards the handle and, with a quick glance around to see if their guardian was watching her with her sharp eyes, she turned the handle of the door and found it predictably unlocked. The first time she had been in their she felt like an intruder, and the feeling was present again, creeping up into her chest until she began to feel uneasy. His room was messier than she remembered with clothes thrown over the floor and there were bits and bobs from his creations and work strewn around the room with no order that she could see. It was only when surveying the pile of books that had appeared next to his bed that wasn't there before that she noticed him laying there, eyes closed and arms crossed, looking too corpse-like for her liking. He was awake - she could tell from the slight shifting of his legs and the movement of his eyebrows as she drew closer to him, he was listening to her actions, sensing where she was but he didn't say anything, he didn't even open his eyes to look at her.

"You left your door open." She announced nervously, watching the slow rise and fall of his breath as he continued to pay her no attention.

Every now and then she found herself questioning her feelings for Enoch. There were plenty of other more gentlemanly and more responsive men out there for her to court and yet she had chosen to dedicate her time towards pursuing the necromancer because she couldn't think of being with anyone else. Certainly a similar thought did pass through her mind as she watched him there looking moodier than ever, why him, why was she there?

Determinedly, she pursed her lips and took any other step closer to him so she was blocking the light that was shining directly onto his face. If he didn't know she was there before, he would unquestionably know then. "Are you okay?"

"Enoch, talk to me." She tried again, her voice mustering up as much sympathy and persuasion as she could manage in an attempt to rouse him. Without considering the consequences, Olive reached out to place an hand gently on his shoulder, hoping that touching him would force him to acknowledge her - and she got her wish.

"Go away, Olive." Enoch snapped into life the moment she had touched him, shying away from her gloved hand as he moved further across the bed and from her.

"No." Olive was shocked at how much her voice resembled Miss Peregrine's as she retorted back to him, her arms jerked back to her sides as if she was scared of touching him again. "Why did you run off?"

"Again with the questions." Enoch's eyes blinked open solely so he could roll them before closing them again with a sigh.

"Why did you run off?" Her voice was resolute, she was determined to get to the bottom of the situation.

"Shoo." He sounded bitter, reducing her to just a nuisance and not a person he was involved with. She could tell he didn't mean it though, Enoch didn't mean a lot of things that came out of his mouth.

"Why did you run off?"

Enoch didn't respond, choosing to stay silent instead much to the annoyance of her. He was being a pain, and a rude pain at that, and she was quickly loosing her patience with him. She tried again once more, her tone sharper now and more tenacious. "Why did you run off?"

"I just wanted to leave okay jeez." Enoch sounded more frazzled than she had ever heard him before and she knew then that he wasn't angry but frustrated instead. After barely moving the whole time she had been there, she was surprised to see his eyes on her and, through fidgeting to try and feel less uncomfortable, he slowly appeared less and less like a dead body which she was grateful for.

Enoch angry was much easier to deal with, all he did was say something mean, throw something around and then he calmed down, but she had never dealt with a frustrated Enoch, an Enoch who didn't seem to understand himself what he was feeling. He looked in pain, he looked confused, and more prominently he looked aggravated that she was there.

Shifting uncomfortably between her feet, Olive felt Enoch's uneasiness spread to her and she found herself becoming self conscious under his steady gaze. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No." He growled at her threateningly but then his face relaxed as if he all of a sudden remembered who he was talking. "No." He said again, much softer.

"Then why did you leave?"

She didn't think he would reply at first, she could see him debating whether or not to talk to her and she figured that him being Enoch would choose to resort back to asking her to leave so she was amazed when she saw him part his tightly drawn lips to speak. "It's improper."

"What? Kissing?" Olive's face immediately contorted as she thought about the bizarreness of what he was implying which made her forget how uncomfortable she was feeling only seconds earlier. Enoch was not weirded out by kissing, surely? After all, he had been the one the kiss her - both of the times - and he certainly didn't show any signs of finding the situations ludicrous or 'improper'.

"Being alone together, in your room...it leads to things." He trailed off awkwardly, glancing up at the ceiling above him to avoid seeing her.

Olive was taken aback with what he was suggesting. She certainly wasn't planning on dragging him into bed with her, not any time soon anyway, and she couldn't understand why he would think she would do that after only kissing him a couple of times. She wasn't stupid, nor was she unable to control herself - Enoch was admittedly a very attractive young man but he wasn't so irresistible that she lost her mind whenever he was near. While she could understand that things like that were daunting, she didn't think that it would have effected him so strongly this early into their relationship.

"And?" She prompted him, sensing he was wanting to say more.

"...We are not married."

Enoch, as far as she was aware, had never showed any signs of being bothered by all that. It was a taboo of course, to do things outside of wedlock which you weren't supposed to but she'd never met anyone so keen to uphold those traditions, not out loud anyway. It had surprised her that that was what Enoch had been bothered about and not some of the other pressing matters that were going on in their lives at that moment, but she supposed he always had been odd in his expression of emotions.

"Since when have you been religious?" She questioned disbelievingly, knowing that previously she had never heard Enoch mentioned anything remotely spiritual before - she didn't even know whether or not he had been raised by religious parents. Him becoming suddenly religious was something she doubted, and she wasn't going to ignore his blatant lies just to humour him and his mood.

Sensing he had been caught out, Enoch's hands came to his face, massaging his temples as he audibly groaned at her question. "We are not having this conversation."

"It's clearly bothering you."

"Olive, please."

While Olive would have usually push through and continued her inquiry, there was something about Enoch being nice to her - being polite - that made her soften every time. "Okay."

The debate that was occurring on his head was playing out in his micro-expressions - the way his hands shifted slightly, how his jaw squared, the slight wrinkling of his forehead as he thought about a particularly sensitive subject - and Olive came to the existential realisation of just how many feelings Enoch had been repressing. He was easily the most troubled out of their little group and considering his powers that was rather fitting, but she had never realised before how much he was holding back, how troubled he really was.

From the books she read in her father's study only a few years earlier, she vaguely remembered the psychologists she had read about and what they recommended in these situations. She figured that she had to get him to let it out, that the root of his distress was probably his inability to express himself, but then she remembered just who she was dealing with. Enoch was not the type of person to ask about his feelings, he wasn't going to tell her what was going on just because he wanted to, then, before she has time to consider a plan of action, Enoch gave her it instead.

"If you wanna help me, just talk to me."

His reluctant words broke her from her thoughts to find him staring at her intensely, his eyes held a certain vulnerability about them that she had only seen once before on the night he had first kissed her. Something had changed within him, a switch in his thoughts, and Olive knew that he was opening up to her, he was wanting that emotional connection to her that she knew was an integral part to any romantic relationship. The trouble was that she couldn't quite place how her talking to him would make him feel any better.

"I was talking to you..."

"I meant talk at me." He replied a little more bluntly than his usual tone before shifting up the bed onto his side, giving her as good a cue as any to sit down next to him.

So she sat facing away from him, pondered for a moment about what to talk about before beginning to express ever thing that was troubling her at that moment - and he listened. Mid way through explaining the argument she was having in letter form with her mother about her powers she felt his hand that had been so tightly pressed into his bicep make its way to her lap. Then, as she started explaining to him about Bronwyn and how she was doing (someone who he suspected he had given very little thought about) his fingers wound their way around her wrist. She only realised he had been shaking the entire time when she began to talk about Jake. There was something wrong with him, not simply a well of repressed emotions that she had reduced it to before, something that she knew must be harder to conquer other than getting him to talk.

"You know-" His voice cut her off while she was in the middle of explaining what Miss Peregrine had told her earlier about their plans, "sometimes-sometimes I feel dead."

Without giving much thought about how uncomfortable about it, Olive spun around on the bed to face him, looking down at him with concern and sympathy which she was sure would not help the situation but she couldn't help looking that way. He had shocked her, he got her attention, and with the gentle squeeze of the hand that was still holding onto her, she promoted him to say more.

"Sometimes I swear I don't feel anything, just blankness, like I'm cold or something. And then, I feel too much. So much that I can't cope."


	18. Of Shaking and 'Inappropriate'-ness

He found himself telling her everything.

How sometimes he felt like he was drowning in his own thoughts, how sometimes he believed he felt nothing at all, how one menial thing like the arrival of Jake could send him over the edge but something like Victor disappearing didn't. That it had only taken him one look at her that evening for a million repressed feelings to come out, anxiety, sadness, worry, excitement and that somehow it had manifested itself in the fact they were alone together which was the only rational thing he could think of. He told her about how he felt like he was going mad, that all his thoughts made him feel he was delusional, and she listened to it all, soaking up every last word that left his mouth and he couldn't help but feel cathartic at watching her understand him.

There wasn't a single part of him that wanted to divulge anymore information on the subject, that was for him and him alone, but at least she had some sense of why he acted the way he did, it was only fair to her after he had acted so poorly towards her. Enoch couldn't tell her about Victor, that the event of his disappeared had rattled him so deeply that he was afraid to leave her (and on the odd occasion Hugh) alone. Nor could he tell her about the letters he had received from his immediate but distant family members angry at him for not attending his own mother's funeral. Maybe he would have mentioned just how much Jacob's arrival had worried him but she had ruined any chance of that occurring after she had spent the majority of the afternoon tending to his every need.

"I suppose you repress and repress and keep on repressing until it all spills over." Olive said resolutely, playing with the hand of his that was currently on her lap. She was right, even he himself could have figured out that but there was something so reassuring about hearing her say it out loud.

It was only then when the weight had been lifted from the tense atmosphere in the room that he realised how awkward the situation was. He was still laying down, hand grasping onto her as she sat uneasily on the side of his bed. It was a pathetic scene, one in which he looked particularly vulnerable, and it appeared like something out of diagrams you would find in a book depicting Freud. Hastily, he pulled himself up into a sitting position, removed all contact from the young woman and began to fumble around with the blankets until he figured out what to do with his body.

"Probably. Or I need to be sanctioned." He tried to joke but he knew it came out as pathetic as he must have appeared.

"Oh you definitely need to be sanctioned but that's because you can bring things to life - sometimes back to life." Olive smirked at him warmly and Enoch began to feel that new familiar feeling inside of him commanding him to lean over and kiss her but then she said the inevitable. "What's bothering you?"

Almost as if every inch of his body froze momentarily, he found himself glaring at the gentle girl, despising her for removing from the place of comfort he had been experiencing. He remembered how he had felt about her only months before, just a beautiful girl with an habit of asking too many questions at precisely the wrong time. Olive's steady hand flew out to meet his once more, and the contact brought him back to the moment, back to remembering how he felt about her.

"I don't want to talk about it." He spoke wearily, hoping and praying that she would not take it any further. He knew she would though, she always did.

"Don't you think that's the problem?" Her face adorably crinkled up as she began to draw her gloved thumb across the back of his hand, circling this way and that in a manner Enoch could only describe as comforting. Yes, Olive was still persistent in her questions just like before but he appreciated it now, he appreciated her and her concern.

"I think you've hit the nail on the head."

"Just try it. Go on." Sensing his apprehension, Olive offered some words of encouragement that didn't seem to make a difference on him. "I won't say anything, I promise."

He did consider it. Maybe it would help him, maybe the weight that was forever pushing him down could be eased for just a little bit but he knew he couldn't form any words even if he tried. It was one thing telling her what was happing with him, but he couldn't explain to her the details, he couldn't even tell himself what was going on. "No. I don't want to."

"That's alright," through watching her carefully he saw the slight glint in her eyes where she was considering forcing it out of him but thankfully she didn't. "How do you feel now?"

There was a gentleness about her question that allowed him to feel relaxed, and, where he would normally push someone away with a sarcastic comment or something rude he would regret later, he found himself being honest. "The same, I suppose."

Enoch watched as she stared back at him. Her eyes lingering on every detail of his face making him feel surprisingly serene. Olive did care, there was no doubt about that, but he was beginning increasingly aware that her care for him was more than towards most people, that her care towards him was rooted in something else. Maybe she loved him, maybe she didn't and her feelings towards him were just primal instincts, but either way he knew that it made him feel warm. And he felt the same. She was a beautiful girl with a habit of annoying him and driving him crazy. She made him feel loved and she made him want to run away all at the same time. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to hold her. He wanted to continue their daily bickering with her for as long as he could, maybe until he eventually died.

"You've stopped shaking." Olive mumbled and removed him from carrying out his desires.

"Huh?" He replied slightly stunned. He had no idea what she was on about, and he had no idea how he had ended up so close to her. Olive was almost completely against the headboard and he not too far behind, and there was a look of excitement on her face that made his heart race.

"Your hand, you were shaking before." Her voice was apprehensive as she raise the hand that was currently clasped so tightly on her lap.

"Oh."

Then, like a naughty school girl stealing her first kiss, she leaned up suddenly and captured his lips with hers before removing them in less than a second. Olive bit her lip mischievously and Enoch was so enthralled with this new side that he found himself leaning in for more.

"Did you feel that?" She caught him before he managed to get close to her again

"Well yeah." Somehow his usual monotonous tone managed to express his annoyance, all he wanted was to kiss her again and he didn't appreciate the distraction.

"Then, Mr O'Connor, I shall conclude my diagnosis and can confirm that you are not dead after all."

The small grinned that formed as a result of her joke was mesmerising and it wasn't long before he found himself leaning over to kiss her again with earnest. Instinctually, his hands reached up to caress her face, holding her there so she couldn't distract him again, so she wouldn't leave him like everyone else and the sharp off guard noise she made when he had connected their lips was worrying but he soon found her kissing him back with equal fervour. If this was what feeling was like, he would be willing to try it a lot more.

It was different that before. Whenever he had kissed her it had always been a moment of passion, or a moment in which he couldn't control himself or his feelings and was in desperate need of something to ground him. This kiss was gentle, it was sweet, it had a passion behind it which conveyed more emotions that he could even fathom and Enoch savoured every second of it. However, as with the majority of their kisses, it quickly became something more.

Needing to kiss him more deeply, Olive had grabbed hold of the collar of his shirt, pulling him so close to her and so thoroughly that he had to remove his hands from her to help balance himself. She had wanted to do this earlier - so had he if he really thought about it, it was evident from how quickly she had responded to the kiss, how the slight moments they had spent apart catching their breaths were quickly turning from seconds into just fleeting milliseconds before she pulled him back to her. Olive wanted this, wanted him, and contrary to his earlier thoughts, Enoch was more than happy to comply.

Somehow they ended up in a position so compromising that Miss Peregrine, if she so happened to call on him right then, would scold him into the next century. Somehow they had made their way down the bed, him almost on top of her and she desperately grabbing at him for him to be even closer. Somehow she had made him breathless, and the hand that she had been so tentatively holding only minutes earlier had been brought to her waist and was gripping at her dress there possessively. He didn't want to look but he was certain her dress had risen up in the process revealing a good portion of her upper thighs making their position very obvious to anyone who might be spying on them. Any restrictions he had put on himself regarding his actions towards her had quickly slipped away from his mind.

For a seemingly meek girl, he had quickly learned that Olive was demanding when it came to their current actions. Olive was nothing short of enthusiastic and, from how she had effortlessly managed to gain control over the situation and in some respects his body, gave Enoch the impression that she must have done this before, she must have kissed someone else as passionately as she was him. It made him mad, it made him want her even more, it made him kiss her harder.

Before long her hands had found their way to his hair which he had learnt to love no matter how odd the feeling of rubber against his scalp was. It only took a second to realise that she was promoting him to move and as soon as he complied and turn his attention to her neck he heard a sharp intake from of breath from her which indicated he was doing something right. He could tell she wanted more, much more than he was willing to give. One of her hands had strayed to one of the straps of his braces and rested there, toying with the thick fabric as if she was considering whether to push it off of him. He knew that was what she was thinking, her slowly increasing heat behind her kiss and her wandering hands were as good an indication as any.

It was then that he realised they had never kissed that long before, they had never been allowed to take things any further than the odd kiss, and he was quickly becoming aware that it was unlikely anyone or anything was going to stop them this time. Enoch wanted to continue, his body was asking him to but he couldn't - he'd regret it, he'd feel odd, it was too intimate. Messing around with someone, necking, doing sinful things (or whatever one would care to name it) led to emotions, emotions he wasn't ready to share with her, and he needed his life to be a secret for just a little while longer.

"Olive." From somewhere inside of him he managed to string an intelligible thought together to get her attention, to get her to stop. But even though he had said her name in a tone that was anything but passionate, she had continued her pursuit of him.

Reluctantly, he allowed himself one last moment to revel in the sensation of her kisses before he promptly pushed himself up and pulled himself away from her. Olive was confused for a moment, staring at him like he was a creature in a zoo, and then she understood. As she sat up too and straightened herself out, Enoch noticed he was right about her dress riding up and he couldn't help but stare at the pale skin there while he still had a chance. Her hair was a mess, and her lips which were swollen slightly gave just the tiniest display that he had been there, that she was his. Enoch thought she was the prettiest thing he had ever seen.

Olive smiled honestly at him and kissed him once more, sweet and short, and suddenly that desperate hormonal being that had taken control over her body had been subdued and Enoch could breath easy once more. He didn't need to say it, she just knew.


	19. Of Rumours and Emma

She didn't expect Enoch to sleep so soundly. Weren't men supposed to snore? That's what all the books had told her, that men snored like trains during the night and drove their significant others crazy. Except he didn't, instead Enoch slept like the dead, which she supposed fit him perfectly. He did move much either, only once to kick off the blankets because her heat was becoming unbearable but other than that he kept perfectly still, his only movements being the slow rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. He had been careful not to touch her during the night, the only contact she had had with him was his warm breath against the back of her neck, but she couldn't pin point whether or not he had done this intentionally. If he was awake she would have pulled him closer to her but she didn't want to wake him, especially because she didn't know when the last time he got such a peaceful sleep was.

She on the other hand couldn't find the peace he somehow had to fall asleep. It was either too hot, or she couldn't get used to how cramped she felt in his small bed, or how she was laying incredibly close to a guy she found very attractive whom she had spent a good portion of the night kissing...

Nothing Olive could do made her feel anything more relaxed. She attempted to count his rhythmic breathing but to no avail. She tried scanning his room with her eyes, lingering over every item that was visible in the low lighting of the room, and taking it all in almost as if she was fearful she'd never see it again. How, even in the darkness she did not find the pile of chemically preserved hearts and small creatures creepy, it was just simply Enoch. How the pile of books next to his bed were all related to something morbid, as one would expect from him. How her eyes in particular hovered for what seemed like hours on the only decoration he had put on the walls - a small, cigarette card size drawing of a skeleton which, if she was not mistaken, had been hand drawn for him by Claire and reminded her that despite his tough exterior, Enoch did indeed have a heart. 

It was only when she saw the sun peaking through the heavy curtains of the only window in his room that she noticed she had been there longer than she intended, long enough for people to start questioning her actions if anyone had been keeping track of her moments (after the attack on Victor, they had all found themselves subconsciously making notes of where everyone was). Rumours and theories about her and Enoch had been hovering around camp for a while, but the presence of her in his caravan for the entire night was enough to light a flame under those rumours that she doubt would be extinguished anytime soon.

Reluctantly, she pulled herself up on the bed and away from Enoch, ready to start the day on a severe lack of sleep. It was her job to attend to Claire in the mornings, that girl was so preoccupied with everything that someone had to watch her and made sure she got ready but, despite her young age, she knew even Claire would clock that she was wearing the same clothes as the day before. She knew she had to go get dressed and, if she could manage it, she needed to do this undetected. As much as she wished to stay there with Enoch longer, she knew that the sooner she acted, the lower her chances of getting caught were. There was going to be rumours, she couldn't deny that, but it would have been stupid of her to add to them. 'Olive spent the night in Enoch's caravan' sounded a lot less incriminating than 'Olive spent the night with Enoch and snuck out wearing the same clothes as the day before'.

As quietly as she could, Olive somehow manage to manoeuvre herself off the bed towards her shoes that had been left in the middle of the room at some point the previous night and pulled them on without earning a single movement from Enoch. In fact, Enoch appeared to be in an even deeper sleep than before when she glanced back at him cautiously, and she couldn't help but notice the tinge of disappointment she felt when she had realised he didn't sense her leaving him. Curiously, her eyes landed on the blanket on the bottom of his bed and considered taking it to cover up herself but them she remembered just why he had thrown it off in the first place. It was her that had made him too warm so surely the absence of her would make it cold again for him, she figured if her had yet to wake up thus far he probably wouldn't wake up if she moved the blanket back over him.

Without wasting another second, Olive timidly pulled the blanket up so it was covering the vast majority of his body that was already beginning to cool down. She considered kissing him goodbye, but the image of Enoch viciously blushing as deeply red as the hearts that he had stored in his room was enough to deter her. Just as she was about to leave the room, the coat that he had slung carelessly over the top of a desk chair came into her line of sight and she had an idea. The thick black fabric drowned her as she pulled it around herself, smiling slightly at the smell that was so recognisably Enoch before taking off into the camp, dangerously aware that she could be caught any minute.

The boys caravans were easy enough to move through unseen, Miss Peregrine had made Enoch and Hugh set up a sort of screen outside of Victor's empty caravan so that Bronwyn - sweet Bronwyn who was still devastated about her brother and cried herself to sleep every night - couldn't see the intrinsically painted vehicle and remember what had happened. The screen provided perfect cover for her to sneak through undetected and for a moment Olive allowed herself to feel confident that she would make it all the way back to her trailer without meeting anyone. However, as per anything in her life, her expectations were quickly diminished when she attempted to cross behind the back of the performance tent.

"I see you had some fun last night." Emma's sarcastic remark brought Olive to a halt and Olive became very aware of just what Emma would be thinking. "I thought you of all people would have held out a little longer but I suppose maybe now Enoch is getting some he might be a bit nicer."

Turning around to find the girl lurking about five meters behind her, all Olive could do was glare at the girl. What a rude thing to say. Especially coming from Emma, her friend - her best friend. Emma was on edge, something was up with her that had nothing to do with the whole Victor situation but that gave her no excuse to speak to her like that. She could tell Emma felt guilty about what she had said, her sleepy eyes were wide with shock and her jaw clenched like she was holding something back. But there was no apologies, and Olive did give her ample amount of time to give her one.

She considered arguing back. She considered explaining to her that no, she didn't sleep with Enoch, and that she should speak about her like that, and that if she had done, would it really have lowered her opinion of her that much. She wanted to remind her that she had spent a good portion of her time when Olive first arrived there fooling around with Abe until he went off to fight in the war. But Olive didn't do anything. Emma was going through things, just like Enoch, and it would only make the two of them distant if she chose to snap back at her. Emma was hurting and taking it out on her so instead she spun around on her heels and continued her walk, hugging Enoch's coat closer to her for a warmth that wasn't heat related and left her standing there.

-

There was a particular buzz around the camp that morning that had been absent since Victor had disappeared. While Olive was done her best to avoid Emma's pleading looks of sadness towards her that entire morning, Miss Peregrine had announced at breakfast that Jake was in fact one of them - a peculiar (although the nature of his powers were still a mystery)- which had cheered them all up, especially Millard, as they no longer had to hide their powers in front of him. Olive definitely noticed the glint of excitement that came across Enoch's eyes next to her at the table and she knew exactly what he was thinking, he wanted to play with Jacob, he wanted to scare him off. Then, to add even more angry into the air, their guardian had informed them all that they were going to start up the show again, since they were slowly running out of money. It was a relief to hear as the general feeling around camp was that they were all in desperate need to do something again. Just sitting around doing the odd chore was perfect conditions for their mind to dwell on what had happened and no one was wishing to continue dwelling so intensely for much longer.

It had felt nice to return to the workspace behind the stage -their space - and the thought of spending the rest of the day aiding Enoch to do work that had been left untouched for almost a week should have excited her but the thought of Emma and her words had clouded her mind. Enoch had already been there, and had turned to face her the second he had heard her footsteps on the wooden planks. Absentmindedly she had placed the neatly folded coat she had borrowed from him on the bench next to his desk and began to stare towards the corner of the room, trying her hardest to think about what she needed to do that day and not Emma.

"I wondered where that went..." Enoch trailed off, smiling ever so slightly as he remembered the night before. Clearly he had been wanting to flirt with her (well flirting by his standards) and maybe even kiss her again but Olive did not notice. The exciting feeling in camp had inspired him to act somewhat like a normal courting teenage boy and he appeared to be in a good mood - better than the last few days at least, but all Olive could do was think about Emma and ignore his mannerisms.

"Something's wrong with Emma." Olive stated almost immediately after he had spoken. She needed to vent, she needed to share it with him. 

"Hmm?"

"She caught me this morning and made some crude remarks about us." She continued before turning to look at him, hoping to find some peace by seeing him and being reminded of her feelings. However, Enoch's body language had returned to his usual solemn self and Olive found herself holding back insults, forcing herself to remember that he always looked that way, it wasn't because of her. It was only then when she saw his reaction that she noticed how odd she herself was acting - Victor's disappearance had effected her too but clearly it was only just manifesting itself. 

He began to look uncomfortable and Olive already knew that he was planning on confronting Emma about it. As much as she was displeased with Emma, she certainly didn't want Enoch and his sharp tongue having words with her, it would only upset her more. "Please don't say anything to her, I think something is bothering her. She's never like this - you know that."

"Okay." He seemed genuine, albeit annoyed that he couldn't give Emma a piece of his mind. Out of the two of them, Enoch was the more conscious about what people were saying about them, both out of embarrassment and the overwhelming need to protect her, but she knew he would control himself if she asked him to - well, at least he would try to.

"I don't know what to do."

Enoch's silence that followed her words worried her. He was thinking, but whether or not that was due to the project he had set out on the desk in front of him or her situation she did not know. She needed a confident, and the long pause from him was enough to express that Enoch, even though his feelings were genuine, was potentially not the best choice in this situation. Enoch was a deep thinker, and he could only provide advice for darker matters, for social advice the person she really needed to see was, well, Emma.

"Just ignore her." Enoch murmured and slumped into the desk chair, observing as the redhead paced around the room in a very similar fashion to what she had done only a few weeks previously.

Olive sighed at his response. It lacked thought and clearly had been made just because he felt obliged to but that was the most she could really expect from Enoch so she knew she should be grateful. It wasn't that he didn't care, in fact she was certain he had listened to what she was saying and was pondering over it himself, but he never did like talking about problems, even those which weren't his own. The night before had been a fluke, a moment of weakness that she had to remind herself would probably not happen again for a while. She told herself that a month ago she'd be overjoyed with that response, and that his quick reply was more than what she should expect from him.

She allowed herself just a few more moments of her distress before pushing her thoughts of Emma to the back of her head and faced him determinedly. There was work to do. A lot of work to do. Too much work to be bogged down with the specifics of just why Emma was acting the way she was. 

And besides, she had quite a handsome boss that could distract her if she really needed him to...


	20. Of Awkwardness and Journals

Even though the show had been up and running for the best part of three days and every one of them he had spent working, there was still so much work to do that had been left unattended in that period of hiatus. Enoch felt swamped, and he was pleased - he couldn't think of a better way to keep his mind adrift from all the nasty thoughts that were circling his mind waiting to strike. He could feel them creeping up on him and he knew that there was only a limited amount of time until they would overcome him. The fact that he had somehow managed to last that long had amazed him.

Working also meant seeing Olive, and working with Olive naturally meant that his mind was filled with thoughts of her, further distancing his mind away from all the negativity. In fact, Olive was such a good distraction that it was moments when she was away (like he had found himself it just then) that he begun to realise just how much she helped him when she was around; in her absence, he began to realise just how much he needed her. And it was precisely that idea which reminded Enoch that he was acting and thinking like a complete idiot.

Enoch O'Connor was about the furthest a person could be from being a pathetic, hopeless romantic, and he certainly did not appreciate how he was progressively becoming one every time he caught sight of Olive. He was meant to be a grump, mean-spirited, and cold - not a buffoon who thought about when the next time he could see the girl who had caught his attention again. As aware of his new found thoughts as he was, somehow he didn't let it show. Olive received no special treatment from him other than the gift of his toleration of her for long periods of time and Enoch was keen to keep it that way.

Even his work was beginning to be distracted by Olive and he found himself being less and less productive the longer the week went on. She was distracting. So distracting that he was struggling to do the most menial of tasks with ease and he had noticed that on more than one occasion he had fought himself from snapping at her to leave and saying something he would regret. It was because of this that the second she stepped out of his workspace he began to work as frantically as he could to make up lost time and that was precisely what he was doing when he was rudely interrupted.

"Hey!"

Enoch couldn't help but let out a long groan filled with annoyance the second he heard the preppy, American accent of the boy he was currently taking all his anger out on. He despised the boy, loathed him, couldn't stand his guts, and, as much as Olive begged him to be nice, his opinions on him would probably not change in the near future. Jacob was annoying, he couldn't string a sentence together without acting like a timid puppy and there was a certain way in which he acted around the group, his friends, that made him suspicious.

Deep down though, Enoch understood that his hatred towards Jacob was mostly his own doing; Jacob was just another one of his distractions that he clung to keep him from falling. If he was feeling sad about Victor and the fact he had not been found yet, he'd think about how Jacob had looked at Olive when he first saw her. If he begun to get anxious about his relationship (of sorts) with Olive, he'd concentrate on how warmly Claire had taken to him. Indeed Jacob was about a good distraction as any, and he had come at just the perfect time.

"What do you want?" Enoch grumbled back, not even bothering to turn and face the boy he knew to be standing in the doorway behind him. Instead he continued concentrating on the work in front of him, his actions becoming increasingly more rough as he began to imagine the prop he was working on as Jacob's head.

"Look... I get that you don't like - like me and all because of Emma...but I just wanted to say hello and introduce myself." Jacob's words were as feeble as his mannerisms and Enoch found himself straining to understand what he was saying.

"Emma?" Turning to cast Jacob a curious glare, his brows knitted together in confusion as he sharply questioned him. Olive had told him in passing that she had thought that he had liked Emma when she had first got there but he certainly didn't think anyone could possibly believe it to be true anymore, especially since the whole situation with Olive happened.

Jacob's eyes became as wide as saucepans and for what seemed like minutes all the boy could manage to do was stare at him while fidgeting with whatever he had in his pockets. He was nervous, scared even, and he had taken to opening and closing his mouth like a goldfish until eventually he managed to push some words out. "Yeah because...you know."

"What are you yapping on about?"

Enoch had to bit back the smirk that was trying to force its way out at watching Jacob squirm and he made a mental note not to tell Olive just how much he enjoyed it. She would know anyway, she was beginning to know him so well that he was beginning to see it as a fault, but there was something about saying it out loud that Enoch knew would be a bad idea.

"Well you like her." From somewhere Jacob managed to find some confidence and he spoke with such bravery that Enoch thought about giving him credit for it and easing off on him. But Enoch was never nice and instead rose up from his chair, folded his arms intimidatingly and slowly creeped his way towards the nervous boy.

"I do not."

"But -erm..." Jacob trailed off, clearly affected by Enoch's display of dominance, and resorted back to his goldfish impression as he desperately thought of a response to the guy who he had spent a good portion of the day working up the courage to talk to. However, Jacob's luck was in his favour and after a few seconds of looking foolish in front of Enoch, Olive's footsteps could be heard coming towards them and Jacob turned around in relief.

It didn't take him long to realise to slight blush and coy smile across Olive's face was not for him, and it only took one look back at Enoch to see his eyes light up with only the slightest hint of warmth that it dawned on Jacob what was happening. "Oh. OH. Okay."

Enoch would have expected to find that moment incredibly awkward. The status of his and Olive's involvement with each other was unofficial and private and the fact that Jacob had waltzed into his workspace and found confirmation that something was indeed happening between the two of them would usually be enough to make Enoch squirm and immediately start denying. Yet, there was something so satisfying about proving Jacob wrong that he kept his mouth shut.

"Hi Jake." Olive's voice sounded as sweetly as ever but Enoch still felt bitter about hearing her say that name. "This is Enoch."

The blush that had taken residence upon her face darkened at the mention of Enoch and she nervously shuffled over to him to deny Jacob the pleasure of seeing just how affected she had been. Olive, he figured, was just as anxious as he was about people finding out about them - whatever they were.

"Right. I'm Jake." Jacob quickly said with a nod which was met with a giggle from Olive which, while he enjoyed the sound, did not evoke a reaction from Enoch.

"I figured." Enoch forced his best surly tone and revealed in the way Jacob shifted from foot to foot and found it incredibly difficult to meet his menacing glare. He was going to enjoy this, perhaps a little too much, and he already knew that he'd probably earn a slight reprimanding for it from Olive later.

As if like clockwork their plan spun into action and Olive glanced sideways at him with a mischievous smirk that could only be likened to a small child realising that they were doing something naughty and were enjoying the thrill. It was only some harmless fun - Enoch had been blessed with a dark power, he figured that he might as well make light of the situation and when he had proposed the plan to Olive the previous day she didn't take much to convincing. It was fun, it was light hearted - a prank if you will, and while her enjoyment was not on the same plane as Enoch's, they both knew that she'd find it amusing.

"Would you like to meet Enoch properly?"

-

"Did you see his face?" Olive giggled once more and fell into the chair next to his desk, watching diligently as he begun to get back to working on the prop he had put aside to show Enoch one of his creations.

"Maybe now he will bugger off and leave us alone."

The moment it left his lips he knew that his words would be followed by a small sigh from Olive. It was predictable that she'd be displeased at his attitude towards Jake, for some reason she couldn't see what he saw and that bothered him deeply. He didn't know what she saw in him. All he was was a blundering fool and Enoch certainly hadn't forgotten the suspicious timing of his arrival. To Enoch, there wasn't a single redeeming quality about him.

"He's one of us now." Olive's reply was quiet, unsure about the idea of challenging him. While she was more than happy to lightly scold him whenever he was being mean or unreasonable, there was a timidness that came over her whenever she tried to disagree with him. It reminded him of how everyone else saw her, they only saw this side of her that was kind and curious, the stern persona she often inhabited around him was reserved strictly for him; Her strength came from her caring nature, the moment anyone began to spurt opinions she disagreed with, she lost all the confidence she had.

Enoch almost felt bad about continuing their discussion as he was well aware that the further she dug the harsher his words would become but he continued anyway. "Debatable. He's American."

Another sigh erupted from Olive and Enoch thought that would be the end of it. She was weak when it came to arguing however intense it was, which was probably how he had managed to capture her attentions as most other girls would have lost the will to live with his constant controversial opinions on matters. Yet, whether it was the light hearted mood still lingering in the air from their last activities or her growing familiarity with his bitterness, he found the item he was tinkering with being pulled away from him and he turned to see a apprehensive looking Olive seeking his attention.

"Look, he's staying okay... If not because he's a peculiar but because he's Abe's cousin." Olive voice sounded confident but her body language did not reflect that and instead revealed to Enoch the nervousness he would expect from her in that situation. She struggled to look at him and instead focused on the work that she had pulled away from him, and he didn't need to check to know she had begun to swing her legs under the chair to give her something to do.

He stared at her for a moment, shocked that she was able to speak so persuasively when usually she would just stay quiet. Enoch felt speechless, he was so used to having his own way with his opinions that the challenge from Olive was enough to render his argument invalid. He certainly didn't agree with her, but the suddenness of her resilience had definitely derailed his train of thought. Yet Enoch, not one to step away from a debate, desperately searched his brain for some sort of tangible argument to counter her.

"Abe was polish."

Then, almost as if the mood had suddenly been lifted by his response, he was surprised to find Olive holding back grin as she gently placed the item she was holding back onto his desk. His argument was weak, humorous even, but he didn't not expect her to be so amused by it.

"Must you always be so suspicious of everyone?" She teased and bit her lip slightly which Enoch pretended he didn't notice it even though he most definitely had done and he had certainly enjoyed it.

"Yes." He replied curtly but there was just the slightest hint of amusement in his voice. He was flirting, and Enoch was reminded once more of just how much he hated himself for it but he just couldn't help it, it was like his body acted automatically for him. Everything was so much more enjoyable now that he knew if her really wanted to he could just lean over and kiss her without any resistance from her.

"I got you something." Olive sung proudly as she bounded out of her seat to the corner of the room where sure enough there was a black, leather bound book which Enoch immediately began to speculate about just how long it had been there.

"Why?" Enoch interrogated her with a harsher tone than usual and already his mood began to darken at her niceness. Olive just loved to fuss over people.

"Because I thought you might need it...It's a journal." She twiddled the book around in her gloved hands before reaching out and presenting it to him.

Enoch glared at the offending item like it was the subject of all his hatred and his immediate disliking to it was so evident that Olive's pleased expression was dropped from her face immediately. "You think I want to write about my feelings?"

Part of him was lenient towards her and supposed the idea, while pathetic, was nice and logical of her to think of but that was only a small, minuscule part. The rest of him certainly did not want to talk or write about his feelings, in fact the more he could ignore them the better. The conversation they had in his trailer the other day was still a sore spot for him - he never let himself dwell on anything that much let alone talk about it, so he definitely did not want to do anymore of it in the near future, especially as a lot of the problems that were plaguing his mind had yet to be resolved.

Without hesitation, Olive's arms dropped and she quickly placed the book on the desk next to her without another word. Instead of going on about it, she dropped once more into the seat next to him and begun to sort out the tools that he would need to fix the prop that he was working on. Enoch couldn't stop himself from staring at her like she was an exotic exhibit in a zoo, somehow she had managed to be nice to him, annoy him and make him defensive, and then return back to normal all in the space of a minute. He supposed he should be grateful that she had dropped the matter but he knew Olive too well, she never just dropped things, even if she found them uncomfortable; He was all too aware that at some point in the near future he would be cornered about it and he was dreading the moment already.


	21. Of Death and Resolutions

Everything about that day was supposed to be a good one.

A fresh blanket of February snow had covered the ground delicately and had spread excitement throughout the camp. Little Claire was beside herself when Olive came into her trailer that she shared with Bronwyn that morning and Olive couldn't help but smile and giggle at her excited antics. Even Bronwyn who was still far removed from her old self managed to crack a smile at the thought of having snowball fights later. Then, to make the day seem even better, the second she walked out of their space she happened to walk straight into Enoch who was making his way over to the breakfast tent. Daringly she had squeezed his arm when she apologised but while she was oh so tempted to reach up and kiss his slightly rosy cheeks from the cold, she couldn't work up the courage to do so. However, he did smile at her. Well, smile would be an over-exaggeration, but it was the nearest he could get to smiling without actually doing it - he looked pleased to see her. Furthermore, instead of rushing off to avoid being seen outside of their jobs with her, Enoch even stuck around and walked with her to breakfast. She chatted away merrily about the weather and he didn't once groan at her for being annoying. While he did not stay with her for the rest of breakfast choosing instead to sit at the opposite end of the table from her, she had definitely felt his eye on her and that was enough to get her heart beating. It was nice, they were happy, it was too good to be true.

And then Miss Peregrine swiftly hurried into the tent and broke her spirits in a matter of seconds.

Victor was dead.

She had found him that morning, dead in a nearby forest. Without eyes. Victor was dead and it wasn't who they were thinking was responsible.

Hollows. Something their guardian had only mentioned in passing once or twice before, something that many of them believe to be just stories Miss Peregrine had made up to scare them to behave. It was because of this that the general rumour in camp was that some kind of mad scientist had taken Victor. Perhaps they went to a few of their shows and hand picked Victor out for his strength. It was sadly a common threat to anyone in their line of employment and their added peculiarities only made them more of a target. But that was not the case, in fact, that would have been a better outcome. Humans they could deal with, eye eating invisible creatures on the other hand was something else altogether.

It was at that moment that Bronwyn started crying. Emma immediately begun to comfort her but their guardian's hasty speech did not waver. She wanted to go into loop, and as soon as possible. They needed to fake their disappearance and then go into hiding. And it was at precisely that point that Enoch, who she had not thought about since Miss Peregrine had joined them, shot up out of his chair and charged off out of the tent before she could get a good look at him.

She did think about following him to check if he was alright, but she couldn't face him, not yet anyway. Victor had been her friend too, not to the same intensity as his friendship with Enoch, but there was still a bond between them that had now been broken and she had to remind herself that she had the right to feel saddened too. Enoch may have expected her to follow him, to console him, and she had to suppress the guilt she felt at that thought. Her emotions mattered too, and she had every right to attended to herself first before she helped him.

Eventually, she did go to see him. After they had soothed Bronwyn's suffering slightly so that she was no longer sobbing and after she had stifled back the few tears that had begun to fall from her eyes, she sort him out and almost found herself regretting it.

"Piss of Olive."

Was all she was welcomed with the moment she stepped foot inside the tent. He was out of sight, hidden away somewhere that she couldn't figure out but somehow he knew it was her, probably just how he always knew when it was him from the heaviness of his steps. Without hesitation she straighten her posture determinedly and walked over to the back of the stage where she assumed she would find him. She expected him to appear somewhat like he had when he had received the news about his mother, all distraught and hyperventilating, unaware of what to do with himself but when she rounded the corner she saw nothing of the sort.

"What part of go away don't you understand?" He barked at her from his position over by the backdrops as he sorted them. He was angry, he was clearly filled with rage, but there didn't outwardly appear to be any sadness around him like she expected but she knew it was there somewhere.

Hovering in the doorway like an unwanted pest, Olive took a moment to evaluate the situation. Enoch was mad, perhaps at Victor, maybe at the situation - she did not know, and he wasn't upset as such. A careful glance at him while he was gently sorting through the eclectic collection of backdrops Miss Peregrine had acquire over the years reveal that he had not been crying, at all, and there was a certain ease about him that confused her. He was alright but angry, and sad but okay all at the same time.

"I just came to see if you're alright." She whispered when she managed to find her voice and she apprehensively stepped close to him, unsure of how to act. She had seen him angry before (too many times than she'd like to recollect) and she'd seen him sad before, but never had she seen him in this weird state of limbo he was occupying.

The sharpness of his sigh took her aback and the glare he threw at her would have been enough to send anyone else scurrying off. There was a softness in his eyes for a second that Olive attributed to her clearly tear stained face but it only lasted a moment before his usual harshness returned. "Well of course I'm not. But what's that to you?"

"Enoch-"

"Don't Enoch me. I don't even like you."

She'd heard it all before. It was always his defence mechanism to push her away but that didn't stop her from attempting to reason with him. "You don-"

"-yeah I do. I only let you stick around 'cause I feel sorry for you. You're annoying, you know that? Drives me up the wall!" He cut her off, dropping the backdrop he was holding unceremoniously to the ground and drew closer to her in a move that could only be described as aggressive.

Even with the power she held in her hands, she felt scared of him. Enoch was intimidating, and there was a part of her that was quickly growing that was becoming more and more aware of the unpredictable nature of his current mood. He could hurt her, and it saddened Olive that she didn't immediately rationalise that thought away.

But she had had enough. Enough of his moods, enough of his words, enough of him just expecting her to adhere to his every whim. She was going through a hard time herself, and she was not going to let him bully her because there wasn't a single thought in that thick scull of his that was considering her feelings. He was being selfish, and at any other time she would have let it slide but not that day - she wasn't in the mood. They had all lost a friend, not just him.

"You know Victor was my friend too." She started nervously but her voice was strong despite the slow stream of tears that had reappeared on her cheeks.

"So?" He bit back with only the slightest hint of surprise at her sudden outburst. His eyes were dark and there was a meanness to them that she had never seen before and it scared her. Enoch was dark, in his powers, in his personality, and it was only at certain times when she became very aware of that fact.

"And-and I get that you're annoyed that I didn't immediately came and find you because now you're in that state but my whole life isn't dedicated to you Enoch..." She trailed off to let out a small sob before taking a deep breath to continue, "and if it was that would be a miserable one at that!"

"You done?" He rolled his eyes at her, and the rage that built inside of her was screaming at her to shout and scream at him for being so rude.

Olive didn't have a moment to think before she heard a distinct crack in the air and Enoch's jaw immediate tightened in response. She had slapped him, hard, and she didn't even realise she had done it until afterwards. He looked shocked. She felt guilty and mad. Then a glimpse of a condescending smirk appeared upon his face and Olive knew then and there that she was done with him.

"You're a bastard, Enoch O'Connor."

-

It was because of that encounter that she had spent the rest of the day avoiding him even though she had numerous jobs to do now she had been recognised as his helper. Miss Peregrine had insisted that the show must go on that night, any more cancellations would raise suspicions, but whoever's suspicions they were try not to raise Olive did not know. Bronwyn, of course, had been excused but the rest of them had a show to perform and that meant that she would have to face the boy she had been avoiding.

She had caught a glimpse of him only once, sulking in the corner as he begun to set up the pulley system that was in place just to make Emma's powers look fake to the keen eye (the trick of getting away with their peculiarities without raising suspicions was to make it look fake, but not too fake that they looked like something was being covered up). His cheek was reddened from where she had struck him, and Olive felt a pang of guilt overcome her when she saw it but that was immediately removed when he threw a glare her way only seconds later. Enoch hated her, and she was annoyed at him too, and all this was going on only hours after they found out that their friend was dead. Olive wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation - were they over now? Was this just a grief induced phase?

"How are you fairing?" Emma's voice removed her from her dreary thoughts as she moved to sit in the makeup chair next to hers and began to pull out her supplies.

"Better than most I presume... I only knew him a year." Olive answered honestly. She knew it was true, while she did feel upset herself, she knew it couldn't be anything like what some of the others felt who had known him for a long time, especially Bronwyn.

Then, almost as if Emma could read her thoughts, she turned to her with a kindness in her eyes and grasped ahold of her gloved wrist. "You can still feel sad you know, just because we knew him better doesn't mean you can't feel sad also."

"Tell that to Enoch." Olive scoffed quietly, carefully noticing how Emma no longer looked like the same person as before. It wasn't that she had been crying, or that she seemed to be forcing herself to get ready for the show that night, but there was an air of something different about her, like she had changed somewhat in the space of a day.

"Oh is he being and arse again?" Emma grimaced comically before turning back to her mirror.

"When is he not?" Olive joked quietly, keeping a watchful gaze over at her friend as she still couldn't understand what was different about her.

As she carefully laid out the makeup in front of her, Emma fell silent for a moment and Olive knew she was planning on saying something important."I wanted to apologise again about the other day." She said slowly and calculatedly, like she had wrote a script before hand and was simply reading it aloud. "I was mean and it was uncalled for."

It must have been Victor's death that had done it, Olive decided, Emma had found a new understanding about the world that had changed her. That was why she was apologising - she was over it, whatever it was, and she was determined to move past it.

"It's okay, I thought that something was wrong with you so I didn't take it personally - Enoch on the other hand..."

"Yeah, thanks for that. He's been tying my safety rope so tightly as of late that I can hardly breathe!" As if a weight had been lifted from the girl already light as air, Emma giggled and from that sound Olive reckoned that somehow things would get better, for her, for Emma, for all of them - even Enoch - but that was a long way away, for all of them. Instead they had a show to do and all thoughts of a possible happy ending Olive pushed aside for the duration and hoped and prayed that they would come back.


	22. Of Guilt and Advise

Enoch was hurting; Victor was dead, Olive was ignoring him, the whole camp had fallen into a period of mourning that only made his suffering worse, and, on top of that, the news that they may be in immediate danger had sent his senses into overdrive. Enoch was indeed having a hard time with it all, but what had angered him the most was himself. He had driven Olive away. He had not appreciated Victor when he was here. He hadn't even thought of Bronwyn until a few days after the news had come. Enoch felt guilty, and he felt annoyed at himself for feeling as such.

Olive had not spoken to him since she had slapped him and rightly so. He hated her for the first day, glared at her whenever she caught his eye, swore that he would not talk to her every again because how dare she hit him, it was wrong. But then he realised he deserved it, and that she had been right with every word that she had said. Selfish was not a word he would use to describe himself - mean, yes, not selfish - but it was clear that she certainly would and he was beginning to see just why she would think that. Victor was her friend too, and the fact that he didn't even think to check if she was alright made him feel rotten. It wasn't supposed to be like that, he was supposed to not apologise for who he was, he was supposed to not care but he did, he always did, even if he never showed it. He had been awful, and now he was suffering because of it.

To make matters worse, he yearned for Olive, he needed her to feel better again. There was something so undeniably optimistic about her that was infectious even to a person such as himself who struggled to find a silver lining in even the most positive of situations. Enoch needed her to tell him what to do, he needed her to talk to him about things, he needed her to be there. He missed her so much that he even considered writing in that stupid journal she had given him just so he could have some form of connection to her but he had just considered it, the thought of sitting down to think about his problems was too against his nature to do it.

He was pining for her and everyone in the camp knew about it. It was embarrassing.

-

It was two days after the news of Victor's death had arrived when he finally succumbed to the temptation to at least open the journal that had been left in his workspace by her. He was in the middle of making a rushed couple of creatures which were nowhere near his usual quality of work when it caught his eye on the corner of his desk. Its presence had been felt the entire time but he had gotten used to it, forgotten about it almost, and it was only when he noticed it once more that he remembered her words about why it was there.

Olive said it would help. It should calm him down a little, to make sense of what was occurring inside his head, to rant to something when he couldn't or wouldn't rant to someone. But that wasn't him, and the thought of it made him cringe. Yet he reached out for it anyway.

The first thing he really noticed was it's lightness, and it didn't take long to notice that half the pages had been ripped out and there was even evidence of it having been bunt. It had clearly been used before, and whatever it was used for had clearly been a secret. This must have been hers.

Curiously, he flicked through the pages, searching for any clues to confirm that the book had indeed been Olive's but there was nothing to be found. Not one word. The only thing that could confirm it was hers was the occasional burn marks throughout where he supposed she had been careless in her powers.

Much to his surprise, he found himself reaching for the blunt pencil that he had haphazardly dropped on the table earlier that day and turned the pages to the first blank page. And he scribbled down a few words, the first that came to his head. It was only a sentence, a few words, and left it at that.

Victor is dead.

-

On the third day he planned to talk to her, to get her to come back to him, to ask if she was alright but he couldn't face her. Enoch tried multiple times during the day but every time he bottled it.

The first attempt he made at breakfast in which he planned to get there just a little after her and sit across for her so she at least had to look at him. In theory it was a great idea, one that would probably lead to success as Olive couldn't run away from him, but the brilliance did not translate into practice. Sat across from her, Enoch could barely gather up the courage to look at her let alone talk to her. Instead of asking her about her day he found himself staring intensely at his plate like it would run away if he looked away. Enoch decided that couldn't face her that early in the morning and that was it, it had nothing to do with the intense amount of guilt he felt whenever he looked at her.

He tried again after lunch after he specially took a detour back towards what he was doing just because he knew he would walk past her. In the distance he saw her sat with Horace, washing clothes that she had been tasked to now she was in need for a job, and listening to him chat away about one of the various dreams he had. Olive looked miserable as he walked towards her, and she had looked just as miserable when he had scurried straight passed her without even giving her a second glance.

Then at dinner he had decided on forcing himself to speak to her but after a long and miserable conversation with Hugh about what they had to do with Victor (who had been brought back to camp by Hugh, Miss Peregrine and Millard earlier that day) and his things, he found himself being too solemn to even bring himself to attempt it.

The period in which he and Olive could reconcile without causing much harm to their quickly diminishing relationship was fast coming to an end. If he didn't make a move soon, or if she didn't decide to suddenly forgive him, he knew the two of them could become strangers forever.

-

"I heard Olive slapped you hard."

On day four of their separation, he had been feeling miserable. Victor's death was only just sinking in and their was an air of hatred towards him that was circling which he could only predict was Emma's, who had never been keen on him, doing. Thereby it was much to his surprise when he found himself being accosted by the blonde that day when he had been to check on the generator which had not been right since the night of the attack.

The amusement in her voice was evident and Enoch bitterly tried his hardest to not bite back at her. She was Olive's friend, hence how she knew, which was why she was untouchable to his rage - anything he said to her would make its way back to Olive, who he so desperately wished to be back in communication with. Instead, he chose to remain silent, turning to look at her in a way which he (although probably not many other people) would deem to be polite.

"Look, I've already apologised to her but as you're not exactly talking right now I should probably extend the apology to you too." Emma rambled in a way that displayed such poised anxiousness that only she could manage.

Whatever she was talking about - which Enoch did not have a clue about, she was not radiating the slight aggressive tone she usually did when talking to him which made it very hard for him to think of a response to. Their interactions did not play out without them at least insulting each other, and the idea of her potentially not wanting to do that made him somewhat uncomfortable - it wasn't natural.

Sensing his confusion, Emma's hands flew together and immediately she begun to play with her light fingers before she managed to continue. "I'm sorry I was saying stuff and making you and Olive feel uncomfortable. I was jealous."

Just as he was beginning to enjoy Emma's obvious discomfort he suddenly became aware of his own distress. Emma was jealous? Did that mean...did Emma fancy him? Once he thought that it could have been a possibility, years ago when they fought much more and the tension between the two of them was ever present and could have easily be something more than annoyance, but that was ages ago. Surely she couldn't, not with Olive in the picture, not when the nicest thing she had said to him for an entire year was a polite 'happy birthday', but maybe he was wrong this entire time.

Slowly, after carefully watching his reactions which he presumed would be very telling of his uncomfortableness, her eyes began to widen in a way in which would be deemed as comical to any onlookers. Instantly she became flustered and for the first time in his life, Enoch found himself confronted with an Emma who was struggling to speak. Eventually she did though and quickly extinguished any though in his mind about her potentially wanting to be in a relationship with him.

"Not because....I was jealous of both of you. I was lonely, alright? I just took it out on the two of you."

With her pride thoroughly destroyed at her confession, Emma's shoulders sunk as she looked at him with one last nod before spinning as fast on her heels as the lead of her shoes would allow, and charged away out of embarrassment.

Enoch returned back to work with a slight grin on his face at the thought of now having an advantage over the blonde girl. The two of them had always been turbulent towards the other but there was (and always will be) a degree of mural respect and fondness for the other that only people who had known each other for such a long time could have. Still, it was quite a nice thought to learn that Emma had been jealous of him, it was something to tease her about later on when everything had settled. However, it wasn't long until he was disturbed once more and, just as he was about to play with a wire that he didn't have too much confidence in being safe, he heard the same voice as earlier calling out from behind him.

"Oh and do make things up with Olive. As much as I enjoy her being with me, she is in an awfully bad mood now - she won't stop sulking. You have thought of talking to her...right?

"Yes." Enoch threw his tools down in frustration and he knew from his movements that Emma could tell just how deeply their separation had affected him.

"And?"

"She hates me." He sighed, turning to look at the girl defeatedly. There was no false pretences anymore, she knew he wasn't doing too good, and any acting from him on that part would just be exhausting.

"Well thats not hard," Emma smiled lightly it quickly spoke to correct herself after she saw his face drop even further, "I'm joking! You know she doesn't hate you. It's clear from how much she's wondering around like a lost child that she definitely does not hate you."

Shoving his hands deep into his pockets, Enoch thought for a moment. He was depressed, Olive was sad, the whole camp was upset, and the only person who had thought about confronting him about sorting things out with Olive was standing right in front of him. Victor would ask for help, Victor would be proud of him if he did. So then, much to the astonishment to himself and to Emma, Enoch open his mouth and ask her something he'd never heard escape his lips before. "What do I do?"


	23. Of Fortunes and Love

"I think he's going to talk to you today." Horace murmured ominously as he gracefully ordered and reordered his tarot cards, his words stopping her dead in her movements.

This was her new position now, helping Horace in his numerous jobs that he insisted only he could do as only he knew how to do them right. Washing clothes, fixing them, preparing his props, sorting out the mail. It had taken her almost the week that she had been helping him to convince him that she could do some of his jobs up to his standard and just that day she had been allowed to sew up some ripped trousers of Claire's while she watched him work. But the trousers were long forgotten and were quickly dropped into her lap as she stared at him worriedly. 

She did want to see Enoch again, to talk to him, to kiss him even, that was undeniable. But it had been so long, too long, and now whenever she saw him from across the camp she began to feel so nervous that her hands involuntarily heated up. The anticipation of eventually talking to Enoch was too much, but she still craved it. 

Olive replied quickly, eager and nervous to receive more information from him. "Did you see it?" 

"A little, I mainly saw the two of you kissing but I feel that would be very impolite start a conversation with." He stated matter-of-factly, glancing over at her quizzically. Before she used to despise Horace, he was always so pompous and so sure of his own opinions that he did not like any form of criticism, but she'd gotten to know him, he was a friend now and very intuitive when it came to feelings.

When he gaged that she was not completely uncomfortable with the situation, he continued. "However this time it wasn't right outside my tent which I very much appreciated."

The blush that had begun to spread across her face at the thought of kissing Enoch again was solidified with the notion that Horace had seen them kissing, on multiple occasions. "Sorry." 

"He'll seek you out soon." Horace chuckled sightly before returning to his work and Olive found herself thinking about every word he had said over and over again in her head.

"I don't doubt your word for it."

\- 

And sure enough, after the show that evening she had caught him out of the corner of her eye lingering backstage as she silently tidied away her stuff. Emma had been with him for a time, talking to him in a manner which could only be described as aggressive, and had gestured over to her a few times so Olive was well aware that their conversation was about her. The two of them had been talking for a few days quietly every now and then when they believed that no one was looking, and Olive couldn't help the slight twang of jealousy she felt at watching her best friend talk to him. Emma wouldn't do anything, even if she did have feelings for Enoch, the girl was loyal to a fault but she was the one spending time with him, talking to him, and not her. Then Emma had left, and she quickly realised that Emma had managed to take the entirety of their friends away so it was just them. Her heart hammered in her chest. Horace had been right.

So badly did she want to talk to him again, quip remarks back at him whenever he was being mean, even to argue with him again; She needed to be in contact with him, even if it was in the most negative of fashions. Yet she wouldn't give him the satisfaction, she was angry at him, and he needed to know that. Too long had she sat diligently as people walked all over her because she was too nice to say something, and Olive was determined that this time she was going to be rigid about her feelings. Especially towards him. Therefore, the moment she caught him slowly creeping over towards her, she straightened her spine, pulled back her shoulders and drew a very deep and controlled breath.

"Come to grovel?" She attempted to sound imposing and stubborn as she called out to him over her shoulder but the very nature that she had already been told by Horace that she'd end up reconciling with him was enough to make her attempts lack lustre.

"Something like that." Enoch spoke to her for the first time in a week and Olive instantly realised how much she had missed his voice. The sarcastic undertone that was ever present, the way he could say the gentlest of things and still make it sound cutting, how there was only the slightest change in his voice whenever he spoke to her. She was being sappy, she knew that, and quickly tried to recover herself before she spoke her next words.

"And?" She turned to face him, arms crossed as a reminder that she couldn't bend, and she tried her hardest to maintain her stern expression as she stared at him in front of her. 

He looked sick, much like he had done the last time she saw him grieving, and there was a certain air about him that screamed at her to take pity on him but she couldn't, not yet. For the first time ever, Enoch reminded her of a small child in his mannerisms. There was an innocence and softness about him that she had never seen in him before, and there was a look in his dark eyes that expressed just how terrified he was. But he was still Enoch. Even with this newfound vulnerability he still appeared strong and demanding, and there was not one ounce of him that suggested to her that he was willing to retract how he had acted. With his hands stuffed comfortingly into his pockets and his eyes anxiously falling on her, he came to a halt in front of her and Olive felt herself resisting the urge to pull him into her arms and hug him until all of their pain had gone away.

"If I apologised would you even forgive me?" He asked sternly, the formality of it sounded to her like he was making a business deal. He sounded rehearsed, almost as if someone else had written the script for him. Emma. That's what she had been up to with him.

"Perhaps." She replied curtly, raising an eyebrow expectedly at him. Enoch apologising would be a great sight to see.

"I'm sorry." 

The apology was short, and the furthest thing from heartfelt as it could possibly be. While she did appreciate him saying those words to her, Olive knew he didn't mean them. They sounded too formulaic, too forced to have any meaning behind them. Clearly he was just saying it because Emma had advised him to.

All thoughts of composure escaped her and her arms were slung down to her sides in a frustrated huff. She remembered why she was mad at him in the first place, she remembered how aggravating he could be. "Do you even know why I'm mad at you?"

Clearly, her words had not been planned for beforehand and she found herself faced with an Enoch who had no idea what to do with himself. If she didn't know him and the slight hints his usually expressionless face gave off, she wouldn't have noticed him go into a slight sense of panic, but she did do, and she took great pleasure from it. 

After what felt like an eternity, he finally made a sound in his usual bitter manner, albeit much quite and more unsure of himself. "'Cause I was being a bastard as you so eloquently put it."

Olive thought of a witty remark to reply with, but the sudden change of tone in his voice prevented her from saying it. Her words had hurt him and while she did not regret them, she didn't feel like drawing the matter out any further. Instead Olive thought of the bigger picture, here was Enoch apologising (rather badly but apologising nonetheless) to her. Even if he didn't mean it, he was still doing it, and that was enough of a sign to her that she should forgive him. Enoch had too much pride and never gave it away willingly, his apology damaged that, and as someone who knew him well, she could tell just how big of a step that was for him.

Sighing, she emptied out all her anger towards him, she couldn't fight him any longer, she didn't have the patience. "Honestly, Enoch, no wonder I'm your only friend."

"Seems like you've already forgiven me." He replied quickly, eager to move on from their disagreement, and smirked at her in a way that made her want to either slap him or kiss him out of frustration. 

Rolling her eyes and stepping closer to him, Olive felt playful, like a weight had been lifted and suddenly she felt renewed. "You're a swine."

"I know." 

"You're by far the most annoying thing here." Coming to a stop about a foot away from him she became well aware of the situation they were in. It was dim, they were alone, he was being infuriating which she couldn't help but find very attractive, Horace's predictions, all of it made her brain rush with excitement and lust for him.

"I know." His breath began to quicken slightly and the gaze of his eyes upon her lips was unmistakable.

"Sometimes you get me so angry that I swear my blood boils."

"I aim to please." All sense of his interest in their conversation had gone and she noticed him drawing closer to her in the motion to kiss her. Much to her own frustration, she pulled away slightly, leaving him there with a clear annoyed look upon his face. She wouldn't let him back that easily, as much as she would like to.

"Is that all your apology?" She looked up at him with a glint in her eye.

"No."

"Then go on then."

For a moment she expected him to reply with a sarcastic comment or something else that would prevent him from apologising further. Enoch didn't do feelings, she knew that too well, and a further apology would likely have to include some. Yet, much to her surprise, after quite a few seconds of careful thought, Enoch decided to tell her very hastily what was occurring in his mind. "I miss you, okay? I'm not going to sit here and pretend to feel remorse that I act they way I do because quite frankly, the only thing I feel bad about is that I upset you, I can't apologise for who I am. But I miss you. Too much - gosh, if Hugh finds out about this... I guess I never realised how much I loved you until you blanked me for a few days."

It felt like all brain function she had stoped dead in their tracks and she found herself dumbfounded. Had he really just said that? Was she dreaming? Did Enoch really think that? She couldn't believe the words that had just come out of him mouth. He loved her. He didn't say in love, which she had read in her many romance novels to mean something else from loved, but it certainly meant a great deal coming from Enoch. But then again, maybe she was reading too much into it. What if he had meant it like that? What if he just phrased it like that on accident?

"Okay, maybe rolling my eyes at you was a bad move on my part, I'll admit it. Also probably some other things." He trailed off, desperately searching from some sign from her that of what she was thinking. "Olive? Look, if you wanna stop seeing me then tell me."

Olive couldn't remember a time when he had said so many words in one go. It had shocked her. And now he was looking for a response and she couldn't even fathom how to tell him in a manner that wouldn't spook him so she just blurted it out.

"You said you loved me."

Enoch's reply came fast, but otherwise there was no other indication that she had started him. "Did I?"

"Do you?"

All he could do was shrug his shoulders but that was enough for Olive. He didn't deny it, which was the usual Enoch response to anything he was ashamed of, and he didn't bat away her questions with a mean remark. Just the thought of him not being able to deny the fact fact he may love her encouraged her to finally close that gap between them and kiss him after days of wanting to do so. His lips were cold, colder that she remembered, and the pressure they returned back was so gentle that it was unfamiliar to her. It was sweet, it was tender, and it was a million times more heartfelt than any words he could say.


	24. Of Dizziness and Interruptions

Kissing Olive was like kissing fire.

She was electric, her kisses were warm and passionate, and there was a certain urgency about the way she was grasping onto him which sent a rush throughout his body. He couldn't figure out if the burning sensation he felt from her hands on his neck was just a figment of his imagination or something more but he enjoyed it regardless, relishing on the feeling as if it would soon disappear.

Olive had been preoccupying his mind ever since they reconciled their disagreement just a couple of days earlier and it was driving him up the wall. Honeymoon period. That what Emma had teasingly described their change as when she had caught them staring at each other before the show last night and while Enoch was not comfortable at any reference to marriage, he had to admit it was a apt description for what he had been experiencing. The warmth he felt ever time he saw her, the way her kisses made him tingle, he almost wanted to slap himself he had been acting so sappy. But then she'd kiss him again and make any doubts he had about his own integrity go away.

Take earlier that day for example, what he expected to be a normal breakfast experience had instead become one of the most frustrating experiences in his life. He had only been sat at the table less than five minutes before he felt the familiar warmth of her hand on his knee under the table. It was irritating, it made his brain go into overdrive, and it took everything in his power to not reach down and tear her hand away from him. There was nothing Enoch hated more than not being in control and every time she touched him it seemed like he lost every ounce of control he had left. Claire, innocent and sweet Claire, had been glancing up at him from across the table with wide eyes and he couldn't have felt more inappropriate. He had glared over at his girlfriend, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the smirk that was presence on her lips and he had to resort to furiously cutting up the eggs in front of him in order to keep any threat of sanity in his body. But he didn't push her hand away.

It was because of her fingers brushing across his leg under the table that the second they had entered the tent and were away from prying eyes that Enoch had pushed her up against the the side of his workbench and kissed her with such frustration that he shocked himself. What had he become?

He knew that if she could have her own way that they would be much more than just kissing. There was something so sensual about Olive that he wouldn't have thought existed just by looking at her, but somehow she had a much more active libido than anyone he'd ever met. It was distracting, so distracting that he only remembered the reason why they were there when his hand had accidentally brushed across a long forgotten tool upon his work bench. They needed to work. He needed to fix some things so that when they went into loop - which he had been told was tomorrow - it did need to be done. It was going to be a long day for them all, but he had been told it would be worth it, so even though the sensation of Olive lightly brushing her lips against his jaw and her hands burning against his collar bones was breathtaking, he knew he had to put an end to it.

His hands determinedly fell to table by her hips as he pushed himself away from her, watching amusedly as she attempted to continue her last actions without any luck. Maybe it was the rush of oxygen to his brain, or maybe it was the wave of cold air that went over him as he pulled away from her, but either way he found himself suddenly startled and at a loss for any sense of direction. His head spun and the girl who stood in front of him became a slight blur as she begun to giggle at him, her hands running down his chest endearingly.

After a couple of deep breaths he found himself staring at her, her breath uneven and her cheeks were flustered, and he considered forgetting all his responsibilities and closing the gap in between them once more but Miss Peregrine scared him, and the thought of her glare was enough to make him step away.

"We should work if we are going into loop tomorrow." His voice was weak, uneasy, and inspired a grin from the redhead.

"How you feeling?"

Enoch knew she wasn't referring to his dizziness.

"Way to ruin the mood." He grumbled, collapsing down into his desk chair and pulled one of the many projects he had to complete that day. He didn't want to think about it, he didn't want to think about Victor, he didn't want to think about why they had to loop, he just wanted to get the work done, maybe kiss her some more and leave it at that. But Olive certainly wasn't going to let him off, she wanted an answer, and was looking at him expectedly from where he left her leaning on his desk until he said something.

Enoch made sure to sound annoyed, to tell her clearly that he didn't want her asking these sorts of questions. "I'm alright. Haven't really thought about it."

"Okay." Olive nodded curtly, satisfied with the answer and taking the hint not to push him further on the matter. "Bronwyn is doing much better now don't you think?"

Enoch had been thinking about Bronwyn, it was hard not to, and even someone as unfamiliar with human emotions could see that she was doing much better ever since they had laid Victor to rest yesterday. It had been a rushed funeral, one that was driven by the fear of what had happened to him and what they had to do, but it was a relief for them all, like a weight had been lifted. Enoch remembered something his father always told him about the undertaking business - that funerals were for the living, not the dead, and that he finally understood why that was true.

"It probably has something to do with the fact Miss P has finally done something with his body..." Enoch trailed off, not wanting to dwell any longer on the thought of Victor and his body laying cold and alone in a hastily dug grave.

"Hmm, probably... I wonder what looping is like." Olive replied quietly, moving around to lean against the desk next to him, watching whatever he was doing, "It's a little odd don't you think, not growing old?"

Enoch made no reply. He hadn't really thought about it. Instead he focused on his work and listened to her moving around next to him, quietly clearing his desk as was expected of her as his assistant.

"What is this?" Olive asked holding out an envoy or in front of him so he could avoid her conversation.

Nervously he glanced down at the offending item in her hand and he knew instantly what it was. The latest letter that his father had sent him. He didn't mind her knowing about them, it wasn't an embarrassment to him or anything, but he sure as hell didn't want to talk about it. "What is it with you and bloody questions?"

"Enoch." She cautioned, watching his expressions carefully but reached out to give him back the letter anyway.

But Enoch didn't take the letter from him, instead he gestured at her to read it. He didn't care if she did, there was nothing to hide, the matter didn't upset him."My dad is still giving me grief about not going home for...you know."

His mother's funeral. He should have gone, he knew that, but he couldn't bring himself to, and his reasoning was nothing short of sappy.

"He sounds so cold." Olive mumbled nonchalantly, her eyes hurriedly reading all of his father's neat, formal handwriting. The letter contained the usual telling off, nothing new, nothing noteworthy. He meant to have tossed it out after he had read it but it had slipped his mind.

"That's my loving father for you."

Throwing the finished letter back on the desk, Olive turned back to him, grasping her hand upon his forearm to stop him from working and look at her. Her eyes held that familiar glint of curiosity in them which he was slowly growing to hate. "Why didn't you go?"

"I just didn't." Enoch sighed, glaring at her like she was Jacob. He couldn't tell her, he didn't want to.

"Were you scared or something?"

No. He hadn't been. Well, not of seeing his family. He just didn't want to leave them. They were his family now.

"Drop it Olive." He stared aggressively at her in a way that someone who didn't know him quite so well would be scared of. The message was received though, and the curiosity that Olive displayed had gone.

"Alright... you know you can talk to me, right? I won't judge you." She smiled kindly at him, not wanting to annoy him any further. She'd only just got him back, she certainly did not want to send him running again.

"You know I don't want to talk to anyone."

Olive's brow furrowed as she nodded in agreement, and for a second he though he had gotten away with it but then a look of excitement flashed across her face and Enoch knew he was in for another round of questioning. However, what he didn't expect was her pulling his hands away from his work and threaded her fingers with his, looking down at him with a wide, brash grin.

"What about kissing though?" She suggested playfully, squeezing his fingers in between her gloved ones as she leaned closer to him.

It was a much better idea, one that he was more than willing to comply with, and happily. Forget Victor, forget the work, it will get done eventually, instead he had a more important matter to attend to. Without hesitation, Enoch reached up to kiss the grin from her face and was immediately met with an enthusiastic response. He'd never get used to it, feeling so alive, kissing someone who was so warm and so beautiful, someone who actually liked him. It felt so wonderful.

It felt great when her hands pulled away from his and weaved into his newly cut hair. When he wrapped his arms around her and found himself instinctively pulling her down onto his lap, it felt like heaven. And when her lips parted and her kisses got heavier, Enoch could only describe that feeling as pure bliss.

"Humph."

At first he thought it was Olive, she always had been responsive to his kisses so he thought nothing of it. But then he heard the arguing in the distance, and unless Olive had developed the ability to throw her voice, he knew they were not alone. Maybe it was Claire and Bronwyn having a spat about what game to play next, or Hugh and Millard finally coming to blows after weeks of tension between them. Hurriedly he tried to push Olive away in a bid to not get caught and almost chuckled to himself when he felt her resistance, and then he curiously glanced to the doorway and suddenly he found the strength he needed to push her completely off of his lap.

The arguing hadn't been in the distance, it had been in the next room.

Olive followed his gaze towards the doorway and the moment she caught sight of just who was standing there her eyes widened in panic as her hands instantly went down to straighten out her dress. Miss Peregrine's gaze was stern, and there was a hint of annoyance in her usually well composed expression, but regardless the sight of her in the doorway was enough to make Enoch fly out of his chair the moment he had the chance to.

He had presumed for a while that Miss Peregrine had known about what exactly they were up to, she knew everything, but she had chosen not to mention it to them, probably because she had been too busy with the Victor situation and getting the group ready to go into loop. She was annoyed at them, because now she would have to address it, them, when she doesn't have enough time to do so - it couldn't be ignored any longer.

It was still rather embarrassing, despite knowing that their actions had not come as a surprise to her.

"Oh- Oh, um...Miss Peregrine...I'm sorry."  
Olive was in shock, and she didn't seem to understand that their guardian had known about them the entire time. Her face was quickly turning a lovely shade of pink and he knew his own was probably flaring up just the same.

"I'll deal with this later." Her words were cool, collected, and her eyes shifted uneasily over the both of them like they had been caught doing something much worse than just kissing. It was enough to make Enoch bury his hands into his pockets, loosing all sense of courage to talk back to the steely woman.

And then, something he did not expect at all happened. He heard a voice he had never heard before.

"What is happening, I demand to know!"

It was rough, low and there was a gruffness about it that reminded him of a distant uncle who was long dead. It certainly wasn't one of their campmates, and it was almost certainly an older man, and from the clear west country accent it certainly not one of the locals. It was confusing. One sideway glance to the girl next to him however, showed her in a completely different state than he was - she looked apprehensive, guarded, and before he could question it she ha already spoken.

"Pa?"

Then, from behind their guardian pushed through a red faced, balding middle aged man who barely reached up to Enoch's shoulders in height. He was furious, his face was becoming increasingly redder, and despite his unthreatening short stature, Enoch became thankful that he hadn't come forward seconds earlier when they were in a much more compromising position. What they had been up to was obviously though, it was clear from his ruffled hair and the flustered looks upon their faces, and Mr Elephanta appeared to be furious about it.

"Your poor mother has almost made her self sick from worry about you because you wouldn't reply to her pleas and I come here to find you being ravished! Your mother will be ashamed!" He barked out, pointing a swollen finger towards the both of them and Enoch felt the need to say something, to protect an increasingly worried Olive next to him, but before he had a chance to act, Miss Peregrine had rounded on the man and placed herself in between them.

"Mr Elephanta, I will not have anyone talking to one of my children in such a rude manner."

The man was shocked at the forwardness of the woman. Enoch could tell that he did not want to drop the matter any time soon and he did open his mouth to retort but one more stern stare in his direction from Miss Peregrine was all that was needed for his mouth to glue shut. His eyes remained on Enoch, trying to convey with his eyes how much he hated him.

"Now, Miss Elephanta, it appears you have a visitor."


	25. Of Pillows and Science

Olive had never held deep anger in her heart towards her parents. Even when they had called her a freak and gave her away to Miss Peregrine she hadn't disliked them. But her father coming into her home, glaring at Enoch like he was filth, and demanding her to feel bad for her powers, had changed that. She hated him. She hated them.

The moment late into the afternoon he left red faced and furious, she had felt a wave of relief overcome her that felt like heaven. He wanted her to return home, claiming that first thing in the morning he would be back to collect her, but she wasn't going to let that happen neither would Miss Peregrine - or Enoch for that matter. The thought of Enoch as unemotional as he was not letting her leave lightened her mood slightly, any thought of the macabre boyfriend of hers displaying any kind of romantic gesture usually did.

Miss Peregrine dismissed her with a nod and Olive did not fight the urge to scurry out of the room like she had set it on fire, she needed to get out - she could still sense his presence there. It didn't take her much time to decide to go find Enoch instead of retreating to her own caravan, she wanted to see him even with the knowledge that Miss Peregrine would disapprove but she didn't care about the consequences. The eyes of her friends and her guardian were on her as she hurriedly made her way over to where she knew he would be but the usual embarrassment she would have felt about everyone knowing her business was not present.

He answered his door after just two hasty knocks and Olive let her mind wonder at the thought of him sitting there waiting for her. He looked worried, unusually expressive for him - it didn't need to be asked for Olive to figure that Enoch had thoughts that he would not see her again. He stared at her for a while, taking in the sight of her, not moving a muscle. She was still there. She didn't leave. As much as she would normally enjoy the sight of him in front of her, Olive began feel other eyes upon her and she became too uncomfortable to stand it anymore. Without much grace she stepped into the room, pushing the stunned beau of hers aside so she could get through and anxiously stood in the centre of the room, waiting for him to spring back into action and close the door.

Hearing the recognisably click of the door closing after what she suspected was a moment of Enoch deciding whether it was appropriate to close the door or not, she turned to look at him and the hands that had been comfortingly embracing herself fell to her sides as she relaxed in his presence. His eyes were as dark as usual and his newly cut hair was already unkept after a full day of work, the only indication of his emotions was the hands that were deeply shoved into his pockets which Olive had learned was a indication that he was nervous. After what felt like minutes of watching each other, silently communicating that she was still here and that yes, he had been worried, Enoch's usual harsh voice broke the quietness.

"Miss Peregrine-"

"-saw me coming and didn't stop me." It was true, Miss Peregrine's steady glare could be felt from a mile away, and the bird had not tried to stop her. But Enoch didn't seem to listen to her response, he appeared to already know the answer and had just asked out of formality - because that was what a gentleman should do. Instead of responding he lowered his eyes towards his floor of organised mess and began to shift around the items directly in front of him, moving them to the side and out of his way. He was waiting, and Olive knew exactly what for.

Sighing, she accepted that she would have to talk to him about what had just happened - she never had been as good at avoiding her problems as Enoch was. Knowing that she was going to be there awhile, Olive shuffled slowly over to his bed and perched there, kicking off her shoes before finally putting him out of his misery. "My father wants me to go home with him, he's staying in the village over night and he says he's coming to get me in the morning."

His eyes narrowed. He was anxious. Cautiously he glanced up at her under a heavy brow, biting his cheeks as he gathered the strength to ask the inevitable. Olive felt nervous watching his reactions despite already knowing the answer. There was something about Enoch being so emotionless that the moment he displayed any kind of feelings it influenced anyone near to him.

"Are you going to go?" He finally asked quickly and followed it with a huff. It was out there now, there was no avoiding anymore for him.

For the first time all afternoon, Olive allowed a smile to creep onto her face. He was being utterly adorable and that was not something she would ever expect to call Enoch. It was cute that he cared about her, it was even better when his steely demeanour breaks and he let it show. Enoch O'Connor wanted her to stay and that thought was a lovely one.

"Do you really think I would?" Olive beamed sweetly at him as she saw his shoulders relax and the tension he had created in his brow fade away.

"No." His reply was barely audible, almost as if he was still unsure and felt vulnerable. "What are you going to say to him?"

Sensing his anxiety still, Olive decided to inject some pleasantness into their conversation, hoping to pick up his mood a little with some light hearted fun. The pillow next to her was in arms reach and it didn't take long for it to be throw at him with a giggle. "What is it with you and all these questions?" She quoted with a grin.

Instinctively his hands flew out of his pockets and grasped the pillow effortlessly, visibly relaxing even more as he did so. From his skilful reflexes Olive was reminded of a thought she had amused herself with earlier on that week as she had watched him work - whether or not Enoch would have been a good sportsman. She had settled on not, deciding that Enoch was much too moody to find joy in any type of sport - team based or not, but his catching indicated that he probably had the skills for it. The pillow was passed from one hand to the other as he carefully made his way over to her, a sense of ease finally returning to him that he usually displayed in her presence.

"I don't know." Olive murmured quietly after Enoch's lack of response gave her a moment to think about his question. She hadn't put much thought into the matter, nor had she realised that she had to think about it. Olive had already decided on what she was going to do but not how she was going to achieve it. Should she be direct about it? Should she try to be intimidating? Should she just rely on Miss Peregrine to sort it out for her? She had no clue.

"I'll stay away tomorrow, probably for the best."

Olive wanted to scream at him for suggesting it, she needed him there for the support but she knew he was right. Enoch was protective, he wouldn't let her face something on her own unless he truly thought him being there would cause more problems. It was rather funny actually, her father, once he got over the face that his daughter was being 'ravished', would actually like Enoch. They were both grumpy, they both enjoyed an intellectual conversation, they both loved her. They would have gotten along if this had been under normal circumstances and she had met Enoch at school, or a fete, and had brought him home to meet him. Regardless, she knew that Enoch letting her do it alone was a big step for him - he trusted her not to leave, he trusted her to deal with it herself. She appreciated that.

"Thank you." She nodded, pulling the pillow from out of his hands and hugged it to her chest. It smelt like him. 

"What is all this?"

His bed was a mess. She had noticed it the moment she had entered the room but she hadn't questioned it. There were books everywhere, anatomy books that he usually kept in a pile next to his bed, and along with them were intricate drawings of the content of the books, some she could tell were his own. She saw her journal too. Maybe he was using it? Maybe that was why he was acting a lot more relaxed than previously? She wanted to find out but she knew better then to question him on the matter.

"It's nothing." Enoch panicked slightly, scooping up all the books and drawings into an unordered pile (making careful work to tuck away the black journal) and dropped them on to the floor next to her only to look up and find her staring at him expectedly.

He looked aggravated, embarrassed even, and quickly rolled his eyes and tried to hide behind his cold tone. "Millard wanted to borrow a book or two...to study from."

It took everything in her power to hold back her laugh and she somehow managed to. Millard, who Enoch had not taken a liking to until apparently recently, had not only been conversing with Enoch but had made such an impression on him that the necromancer had been willing enough to lend him one of his possessions. Olive figured that now Jake was part of their family that Millard had been saved from Enoch's wrath, perhaps Enoch only had the strength to hold one person in such a negative regard at one time.

"Since when have you started to be nice to Millard? I thought he was 'untrustworthy' and 'annoying'." She teased, watching as he got increasingly uncomfortable and almost squirmed under her amused look. Months ago she wouldn't have dared pester Enoch about acting nice, and she was incredibly happy that she now had the courage to do so as the risk was worth seeing Enoch desperately search for an excuse for his actions.

"I just thought if he's going to kill us it's probably for the best to be nicer to him."

Enoch didn't even convince himself with that response, she could tell from his slight grimace, but he committed to it anyway, glaring at her with a stoney expression.

"Oh of course." She feigned seriousness before giggling once more much to Enoch's displeasure.

Rolling his eyes once more, Enoch shook his head disapprovingly and crossed the room once more to begin searching his wardrobe for something. "Did I come up in conversation?" He called over his shoulder.

"A little."

Little Bastard...pig...needs to keep it in his trousers, were just some of the phrases her father had used to describe Enoch.

"Oh."

"Let's just say he doesn't approve and leave it at that." She giggled once more, stretching her neck to get a glimpse of just what Enoch was looking for. 

Then, to remove her thoughts completely away from her father and their conversation, Enoch finally found what he was looking for and carried an aged wooden box with him back to the bed.

"Want to play chess?"

-

"I'm glad you aren't leaving."

His voice was soft, vulnerable, and made Olive want to cry. His eyes were honest, staring at her from across the bed at the other side of the chess board that he had won on - twice. There was a gentleness about him which she had rarely seen before. Enoch had spent all afternoon worrying about her and this was him indicating to her just how much he had cared.

"Are you feeling alright?" She joked, trying to stop herself from becoming a sentimental mess.

"It's not nice to tease, Olive." He frowned at her before beginning to clean up all the pieces that he had taken from her and pack them away. 

"You know, Enoch, you spent an awful lot of time grumbling about me but for some reason I think you enjoy it." Olive taunted playfully, enjoying watching him try and keep his stiff angry expression.

"Not true. You're annoying."

Reaching out she caught his hand after he had finished packing away and forced him to look at her. "May I remind you that you have just said you don't want me to leave?"

"Shut it." He glared at her but she knew it was in jest, his hands wrapping around hers in return.

"You know, maybe people would stop annoying you if you weren't so easy to tease...What are you doing?"

Enoch had grasped her hand in both of his, one holding her wrist, the other was gently peeling away her glove from her forearm. 

"I want to see your hands." He mumbled as he concentrated on pulling down the rubber, not even bothering to ask permission.

"You can't."

She snatched her hand away from him, cradling it to her chest as his eyes finally met hers. She wanted to let him do it. She knew she shouldn't, she could hurt him, she could burn the whole place down yet she needed to do it at some point. There was no point having a boyfriend that she couldn't touch properly. She wanted to take her gloves off and he could sense it.

"For science." He replied matter-of-factly, well aware of the ridiculousness of what he was saying.

Her eyebrows shot up. "Science?"

"I was having a discussion with Millard about it - stop smiling, I still don't like him - and I just got wondering..." Enoch trailed off with a shrug, holding out his hand for her to let him continue his mission.

Olive's will power was weak. She supposed it always would be weak if she didn't believe in what she was protesting against. It only took one more glance at him to make up her mind. "I suppose if it's for science."

She pulled her glove off on her own, followed by the other, and spread her fingers out in front of her to show him her palms. His brow furrowed as he stared down at them, admiring how delicate they were and yet they held so much power, how normal they looked. Enoch was speechless.

"What? Were you expecting them to be on fire or something?" Olive asked quietly, feeling very vulnerable with her hands being exposed and being under his gaze.

"Something like that." Cautiously Enoch's hand moved gently to hover above them to feel the warmth she knew they were radiating off of them. "They're hot."

Olive was hesitant, well aware that at any moment she could lose control and hurt him. "Well I've just been arguing with my father for hours - what do you expect?"

"So your hands depend on your mood?"

She could sense his hand above hers, feeling whatever forces were being exchanged between them. He was cold. It was electric. She wanted desperately to close that gap.

"Yes." Her reply was curt, staring at him intensely to divert her eyes from staring at her hands which she was expecting to expel flames any second.

"You ever randomly burst into flames?" Enoch's gaze raised back up to her eyes and all the apprehension she had disappeared. She trusted him, he trusted her, she could control it.

"Not anymore, I've gotten the hang of it."

Without taking his eyes of her, he nodded. "Good."

Before she knew it, she felt a sudden coldness overcome the tip of one of her fingers and it only took a quick glance down to notice that it was Enoch. It was strangely satisfying. He was touching her - touching her - and not burning.

"Enoch!" Her hands flew away from his once again, as she gaped at him and his foolish courage.

"You won't hurt me."

"I might." She countered but it was in vain as the second she had started to reply, his hands had been back on hers.

One finger tip, followed by another.

"You won't."

They moved up to her palm, before they were joined by another and his touch became heavier. Olive watched mesmerised.

"Your hands are cold."

They were freezing. Perhaps it was abnormal, she didn't know, perhaps it was her heat creating that illusion.

"Still think I'm not dead inside?" He smirked at her in that handsome manner only he managed to pull off and if Hugh's booming voice from the other side of camp hadn't have announced dinner right at that moment, she would have leant over and kissed him senseless.


	26. Of Giggles and Monsters

"What time do you finish?" Olive smiled sweetly as she passed Enoch a steaming cup of tea, careful not to spill the hot contents over them both.

It was little over ten in the evening and, as per Miss Peregrine's schedule, the usual bustling camp was eerily quiet as its occupants readied themselves for sleep. Rest was not an option for Enoch though, instead he was sitting out in the cold, crossbow at his side, and tasked with guarding the camp from any intruders while the others slept soundly in their beds. How he was supposed to look out for invisible monsters who eat peoples eyes in a darkened camp he did not know...

"Two-ish, if Emma manages to get up."

Even Enoch couldn't muster the usual bitterness into his voice as he gratefully took the hot drink from her, content to have something to warm him up from the chilling winter air. He couldn't complain about his position, everyone who was old enough had to have a go, and while he was sure that if something was to creep up on him that night he would surely be a goner, he recognised that the position was necessary for the well being of the group. Victor had been killed by one of them, it had come into camp - into his caravan, it had attacked him while everyone else was around; they were under a real threat, and at lease having one person on watch was some line of defence against the unseeable fiends.

"Well, stay safe." Olive's hand lingered on his shoulder as she spoke, her voice revealed her tiredness but he knew she was reluctant to turn in for the night. Enoch knew too well that it was when you were alone at night that all your inner thoughts come out to haunt you.

Olive had been keeping him company when his shift had started after the show, nervously chatting away to avoid thinking about what would occur the following day with her father. Despite Enoch liking her now, in fact he was fairly sure he was infatuated with her, he still found her excessive talking annoying and bothersome but he welcomed the warmth of her body in the seat next to his too much to complain about her. In truth, when she had stood up with the promise of making him some tea before retiring for the evening, Enoch had felt lonely when she had gone.

"Night." Olive mumbled reaching up down peck him goodnight which he surprisingly found himself automatically complying to. It was still foreign to him, the relationship stuff, and it shocked him how easily his body knew what to do without him thinking about it, how without planning on it, his cold demeanour fell instinctively whenever Olive attempted to kiss him. However, if he had known they weren't alone in that moment, his body would have reacted in a completely different manner.

Claire's distinct girlish giggle broke through the silence and forced the two of them apart much like the presence of Miss Peregrine earlier that day had done so. Olive's cheeks quickly became light crimson in colour and her face broke out into an amused smile as she turned round to face their little intruder. Enoch just sat there embarrassed and feeling inappropriate as he left Olive to deal with the girl.

From behind her he could just about see the little girl dressed head to toe in pink bed clothes staring up at them both with a wide grin on her face. She was supposed to be in bed an hour ago, Miss Peregrine had taken her there herself, yet her she was standing in the darkness wide awake. Enoch didn't know how she did it but somehow Olive managed to transform from a blushing teenage girl to a demanding presence that would make even him think about complying to her demands. Her hands flew down to her hips as she stared down at the wide eyed girl and Enoch watched with slight amusement as Claire slowly became sheepish. Olive didn't need to ask the question but Claire answered anyway.

"I couldn't sleep."

"You've got to try at least. Come on, lets take you back."

Without giving her much warning, Olive reached down to grab her hand and begun to turn her around to walk her back towards her bed. Claire's blonde hair poked out from behind Olive and looked over at him hopefully, asking without words for his help. Enoch did think about it but as much as he preferred her company to the majority of people in their group, his patience was almost non-existent after such a hectic day.

"But Bronwyn is crying again." Claire pouted trying to resist the movement, staring back up at Olive as she pleaded at her to stay out with them for longer. Whether Claire was telling the truth or not, Enoch found himself feeling sympathy for the girl. They were all grieving but none to the level which Bronwyn was, and when it was getting too much being around someone in such a bad place they could escape from it. Not Claire, she had to live with it, and even someone as happy and innocent as she was had to be affected by it.

Against his better judgement, he spoke up for the first time in the entire conversation.

"She can stay with me." Enoch reluctantly sighed, even he was susceptible to her cute pleas. He reasoned with himself that if he was that small up against the might of Olive he would want help also. It was a normal human reaction. He wasn't becoming weak.

His words had shocked both of the girls who had stopped dead in their tracks. Claire was grinning back at him with an excited buzz about her which he was sure that she shouldn't be experiencing at that time of night. The gloved hand quickly released the much smaller hand of Claire's and Enoch found himself faced with a very confused looking Olive.

"You sure?" Olive sounded sceptical, allowing him one more opportunity to avoid spending time with an extremely vocal six year old and foolishly he didn't take it.

"Yeah." He barely managed to say before Claire came bundling over to him with a angelic smile. For a moment he was scared that the little girl would try and throw her arms around him, and she certainly did look like she was thinking it, but luckily for Enoch she came to a halt in front of him, choosing instead to hop up onto the chair next to him.

"Okay well night both of you." Olive smiled knowingly at them both as she slowly began to draw away from them, shaking her head and chuckling slightly to herself as she went. She certainly didn't believe he would last long before he would send Claire back to bed himself.

"Night night!" Claire sung back, her legs swinging back and forth underneath her and a part of him became worried that she would tip the chair over.

Hesitantly he reached an arm out and placed it on the back of the chair, steadying it as she continued her fun. Already he regretted letting her stay with him, she was irritating him and she hadn't even started talking to him yet. It was a stupid decision on his part. Usually she was a good distract though, he noted, even if she was a very tiresome one.

As he watched Olive disappear into the darkness, he noticed the young girl's silence as she too watched Olive leave and Enoch began to feel hopeful that Claire would stay quiet. Those hopes were quickly shattered because as soon as he had let his mind dwell on the thought of spending time with a peaceful and relaxed Claire, she had turned to face to him with a brightness that no one that young should be exhibiting at that time. Enoch began to plead with her in his head, begging her not to start talking, but it was in vain.

"Enoch?"

"What?" He groaned and rolled his eyes, remembering surprisingly fondly that if Olive was still there she would scold him for it and he immediately reprimanded himself for that thought. It was getting silly now.

However, the obvious displeasure of Enoch was lost on the girl and she continued anyway, the smile on her face as bright as the sun. "Are you and Olive going to get married?"

"No." Enoch replied almost immediately, his tone sharp with warning. He didn't want to talk about that. He still wasn't comfortable being in a relationship, and he certainly didn't want the others talking about it even though he was sure that they were. Talking about marriage or anything regarding his newfound relationship was off limits to everyone and Enoch was determined to make that fact clear to Claire but, from the smile that still plastered on her face, all the cautioning in his voice appeared to have gone over her head.

"Well you kiss her, and Hugh kisses Fiona and he says he's gonna marry her." Claire stated frankly, then threw him a smug look as if she had caught him out on the matter. Enoch had found out early on in his time there that one should not underestimate the intelligence and general understanding that younger children had of the world despite their age, but it was clear that Claire had missed the mark this time.

He chose to remain silent, not wishing to encourage the girl and her questions any further. It usually worked with Olive when she was not too determined to find out any information from him and from the settling of Claire back in the chair to get a more comfortable position it seemed to have worked.

Enoch turned his attention back to his job and the darkness around them. If he had not heard Claire walk up to them earlier on, a completely visible little girl, then he was a little worried that he may not be able to notice whether or not something impossible to see would be lurking nearby. He knew that the guard position was a way of making people feel safe than actually being a form of protection, but he did actually want to do his job properly for the sake of the rest of them. Even if that job just entailed screaming loud enough as he was being attacked to warn the others of what was going on...

The commitment to doing his job however was beginning to make him paranoid, and something as simple as Claire moving next to him became enough to make him jump slightly. He was expecting something to happen, so much so that he was becoming anxious about the littlest of things - the wind, the rustling of leaves in the nearby trees where the local owls were flying, his own breathing. It was just when he was staring at a particularly loud rustle from the trees and imagining a large monster there when it was clearly an owl instead that Claire spoke up once again.

"Enoch?"

Her hand reached out to pull on the sleeve of his coat asking for his full attention and Enoch reluctantly gave her it figuring that the sooner he answered her queries the sooner he could return to his duty. Perhaps even she would ask him to walk her back to her caravan or something and then he'd be able to complete his job without any more distractions.

"What now?" He snapped at her, grimacing slightly as he saw he tense at his aggression.

He did try to at least sound nicer towards her, he really did, but it was late, he was getting tired and he'd had a stressful day. Yet again, Claire did not seem put off despite his spiteful tone.

Claire let out a coy giggle and he knew he was in for a brash question and that's exactly what he got.

"Do you love Olive?"

He considered saying something really mean, he considered snarling a slur of insults at her to tell her off for having the audacity to asking something that was very much a private matter. But as much as he wanted to do just that he couldn't, and he had no idea what was stopping him. Maybe it was Olive and the thought that she would probably hear about him being mean, maybe it was the fact everyone was probably asleep at that moment in time and he didn't want to wake them, or it may have been the continuing rustling from the trees that for some reason he could quite shake off his suspicions of. In lieu of his anger, he just stared off into the distance, watching out of the corner of his eye how the little girl grew with excitement as she took his silence to confirm her question.

"Because I love Olive and I think you love her too or else you wouldn't b-"

"Quiet."

The noise was back - the rustling. It was louder than before. The birds he was so sure had been making the noise had flew up in a flock suddenly disturbed. Yet Claire still continued to talk.

"You wouldn't be kissing her and making her feel happy and all sm-"

"Shut up." He shushed her again much more harshly this time and she seemed to receive the message as her sentence died before she even completed it.

Anxiously he stood up out of his chair, reaching down to pick up the pre-loaded crossbow and pulled it close to him like it would would be a decent form of protection against whatever was out there when he knew it wasn't. Beside him he felt Claire stir and stand up next to him, grasping onto the back of his coat with shaking hands. His nervousness had transferred to her, and a flash of guilt crossed him mind before his senses once again took over and he searched the darkness for something lurking.

"What's there?" Claire asked quietly, her voice shaking slightly.

Then it came.

"Hey g-"

"Fucking hell."

That American Accent he hated so dearly.

The swearing erupted out of him instinctively and Enoch felt like he had jumped ten feet in the air at the sudden voice. The crossbow he was holding almost dropped to the ground as Enoch became startled, his heart beating fast and felt like it had moved positions into his throat. His whole body was on fire with adrenaline, and it was all because of him.

Jacob.

At least he knew they were no longer in danger. Jacob on the other hand was in danger of getting a black eye if he could have his way with him. As he rounded on the boy that had snuck up to them with a scowl on his face, Enoch felt bloodthirsty. How did he have the guts to sneak up on them unannounced when he knew what a tense time they were all going through? Why on earth did he think it was a good idea to sneak up on a clearly anxious guy holding a crossbow?! Immediately the smile that had been on Jake's face fell when he felt the aggression that was radiating off of Enoch. He was feeling murderous.

But Enoch didn't punch Jacob, he would have but he didn't have time to before Claire had tugged on his sleeve and interrupted his train of thoughts.

"I'm going to tell Olive that you said a naughty word."


	27. Of Surprises and Caves

The encounter with her father went surprisingly better than she was expecting.

After a night of recollection, he had come with surprisingly different intentions than she had thought he would and instead of revenge he was focused on making peace with his only child. He wanted her to be happy, he wanted her to be in contact with them, he wished her all the best in her relationship with 'that angry looking boy' and even extended an invitation to him to come down and meet them properly someday. She didn't want to return with him, her father had realised that and accepted it, and was willing to compromise with her on the matter.

There were to be rules for her if she was going to continue living away from home, he was her father after all and still felt he should have some responsibility for her. Olive was to return home to visit this Christmas, while there she would have to be civil with her mother even though he understood their relationship would never return to what it was. She would have to reply to every letter that they sent, so that they could know she was alright and that they could keep up with any news that she had. Moreover Olive was made to write a note to her mother for him to bring back with him, apologising for the arguing, apologising for something she didn't believe she needed to apologise for. Olive did it anyway though, she knew it was the lesser of two evils if she did - it had a much better outcome than continuing the argument further.

What surprised her even more came at the end of their conversation in Miss Peregrine's tent when her father smiled at her and pulled a neatly wrapped box out of his coat pocket. She thought he would have forgotten, she thought that in the midst of all their arguing her birthday would have slipped his mind or maybe he would have purposely ignored it out of spite. But he hadn't. Olive found herself staring down at that very box from her spot by the entrance at which she had watched her father leave, smiling hopefully at the thought of a nicer relationship between the two of them in the near future.

Glancing over to the noise that was currently erupting from the kitchen, Olive became aware of just how long she had been in that tent talking to her father. She had met him after breakfast and now it was nearly lunchtime, their conversation had lasted well over a couple of hours. The thought of Enoch being worried about her the night before flashed across her mind transforming the smile upon her face into an endearing one and Olive resolved herself to try and find him straight away, knowing too well that he would be miserable with worry (which he would not admit aloud). However, Olive didn't even have time to think about where in fact Enoch might have been at that moment before he had found her instead.

"What's that?"

Enoch sounded disgusted, nodding his head in gesture to the small pink box she still had grasped in her hands. He was frowning, turning his nose up at it as if it was giving off a foul smell and he stared at the box with such hatred one could easily mistake it for Jacob.

Olive's smile grew brighter at the sight of him in front of her as she made a note of just how quickly he had sought her out. He must have been waiting for her, perhaps even eavesdropping and Olive couldn't help the pride that swelled in her chest at the idea of him being so concerned about her. She knew not question it though, he'd only push her away if she told him she knew what he had been doing, so she chose instead to force the smile off her face and answer his question with a lot less excitement than she was feeling.

"Oh it's from my parents, a birthday present."

That had wiped the disgusted expression from him and Enoch just stared at her, expecting her to say something more significant. Olive cursed herself for being stupidly optimistic at the thought of telling Enoch it was her birthday soon. What exactly was she thinking? It wasn't like she expected him to suddenly be panicked and clearly trying to think of things to buy her in such a short about of time. She knew Enoch didn't care for birthdays - not even his own, so why she had thought for the briefest amount of time that Enoch would care about hers was silly.

"It's in three days." Olive followed on out of formality, believing it to have been seen as odd if she hadn't at least told him when it was.

Enoch's eyes darted over to the kitchen near to them clearly in thought and Olive braced herself for the sharpness of his tongue that was bound to come. Much to her surprise (it was becoming a running trend that day it seemed) Enoch's words held nothing bitter about them and his reply was short, neutral and to the point. "First day of spring."

Of all the people in camp she had not expected Enoch to know the dates of the equinox off of the top of his head, and from the grimace that followed his words it was evident that he did not wish for her to know that he paid such close attention to the calendar either.

"Well, not for us." Olive spoke quickly, putting the boy out of his embarrassed misery.

As far as she was aware they will still planning on looping that day to protect themselves and she'd have to get used to the fact that it will never really be her birthday for a long time. Maybe there will be a hundred 'birthdays' before the day of it actually came, Olive thought sadly. While she appreciated why they had to do it and knew she should be grateful that she was going to have an abnormally long life, there was something about looping that upset her, it was robbing her of a future. She knew she would get it eventually, but there was something about being on the cusp of adulthood for many years to come that sounded quite tragic to her.

"Miss Peregrine has called a meeting about that. To decide whether or not to loop today or tomorrow." Enoch sighed, almost as if he was annoyed about the matter. Enoch wanted to loop desperately for some reason, and she had attributed it to him wanting a new start - he'd had much too much negativity in his life he must be yearning to shake off.

"Because of my father?"

Enoch nodded solemnly before glancing over his shoulder towards the path that led to the village. Something was up with him, he was acting shifty. She supposed Enoch always acted a little bit odd but something was different this time, he was nervous and there was a certain awkwardness about him that she'd only seen a couple of times before. Olive rationalised that his behaviour must be due to his nerve being tested at the thought of her leaving and maybe he had found himself being overly keen on seeing her again and that had scared him but she knew that was only speculation, she was far from knowing the ins and outs of that boy's brain.

"So um-" Enoch started before trailing off, his eyes darted to the ground between him, "er, I asked Miss Peregrine if we could go out for lunch in the village of something but you don't have to. It was a stupid idea and I doubt -"

"I'd love to."

Well, she certainly was not expecting that.

\---

They had lunched in the quaint little tea room that she had taken him to for his birthday and she couldn't help but feel nervous at the thought of what they were doing. They were on a date. There was no denying it now. Last time they came the label of what they were doing was still rather ambiguous but things had changed since then, they were a thing now. Well, at least she considered them a thing, she never had asked him what exactly they were to each other. In her head he was her boyfriend yet she didn't tell people that, and she was fairly certain that Enoch had worked that out already. However, what he was thinking about her in his mind was a complete mystery. He had said he loved her - well, that he might love her - and he had kissed her in such a manner that she was certain she wasn't just nothing to him, but he also snapped at her, he argued, he ignored her sometimes when she talked too much. The signals he was giving off were messy and she had a good mind ask him upfront to put her mind at ease but she hadn't, instead she just sat there enjoying his company and left it at that.

It had been nice, he had been polite despite the grumpy expression he kept on his face the entire time, and he'd even not given the old women who had served them a rude remark after she had commented on the handsomeness of the two of them as a couple. It was enough to keep her mind off of her father which, even with the much better outcome than she anticipated, was still plaguing her mind and for that she was really grateful. Enoch had known that she needed this and he had gone out of his way to do it for her despite the damage it did to his reputation of being mean; he was putting her needs before his own and she'd remember that.

However, the mood was ruined slightly by a small gaggle of girls in the corner of the room, all dressed impeccably with great hair, who had spent the majority of the time there look over at the two of them with a look of annoyance on their faces. It didn't take Olive long to figure out that they were acting like that because of Enoch, she always knew that many of the girls who came into contact with him and were not exposed to his harsh words fancied him, it was hard not to. He was attractive, he was mysterious, his hair somehow managed to look good even when it was a mess and the dark clothes he wore were never out of fashion (thanks to Horace). Any straight girl in their right mind would find Enoch at the very least attractive before he opened his mouth and all his negativity flew out and sent them away. Enoch hadn't realised what was going on though and she chose not to tell him, knowing that the second he did he would glare at them and make a scene and while that would certainly stop them from admiring him, it wasn't ideal to make everyone else in the shop feel awkward. While she tried her best the ignore them on focus on the surprisingly pleasant Enoch she had been blessed with that day, the girls were making her feel uncomfortable, unworthy of him, so much so that the second he suggested leaving that place she had felt ecstatic.

No one suggested heading towards the seashore but somehow they found themselves walking towards it anyway, side by side with a quiet calmness. It felt nice to be out of camp together, away from the eyes of their peers and away from Miss Peregrine's constant inspection. It was refreshing to get away from everyone and pretend to be a normal person, a normal couple, without thinking of their peculiarities or the invisible monsters that may or may not be hunting them that very moment. She found it odd how Enoch could be the most angry and bitter person she knew but somehow there was a calmness about him that she loved. She felt protected, she felt comfortable, and she knew that's how the others felt around him also when he wasn't biting cutting remarks at them.

"Thank you for this. I really appreciate it." Olive looked over at him with a pleased look upon her face. This whole idea was so far removed from anything she would thought Enoch would do for her - for anyone - and she was incredibly grateful for it. "You can be nice when you try."

His eyes shifted across to her and he stayed looking at her for a moment before snapping back a reply. "Shove off."

There wasn't a harsh tone to his voice, there wasn't any bitterness there. He just said it because that's what Enoch spoke like but he didn't mean it. She knew the difference. She also knew that this was the perfect opportunity to bring up the matter that had been bothering her for a while now. She had been reminded of it when she felt his hand brush against her arm and she thought about grasping it and threading her fingers through his until she remembered that she couldn't just do that, she had no clue what exactly they were. It was one thing to do it in the privacy of his workspace but it was something completely different to do it in public - in public conveyed they were a couple, behind closed doors implied they were just two teenagers enjoying each other's company.

"Enoch?" Olive started gently, her eyes not leaving his face for one second as she continued. "Er, would it be awfully forward of me to ask you something about us?"

Enoch frowned, his hands delved deep into his pockets as he focused on kicking a particularly large shell back into the sea. He was beginning to feel uncomfortable and Olive could only imagine just what exactly was going through his head. "It depends what it is, I suppose."

Half of her wanted to abort her mission and think of something much less problematic to ask him instead but she had resolved to being a bit more daring in her life and she was determined to go through with it. "What are we?"

Olive watched in despair as his eyes grew wider at the question.

"Sorry, sorry. Forgot I asked." She muttered quickly before he had time to respond, the blush that was slowly growing on her face was glowing scarlet. Her eyes snapped away from him and she felt her hands begin to burn as she brought them to wrap them around herself. Stupid, stupid girl. She had just ruined everything and it was only a matter of seconds before he turned around and left her.

"Erm." Enoch had said suddenly, his voice breaking slightly forcing him to cough slightly before he continued. "I suppose you're my girlfriend."

A wave of relief overcome her when she heard the inevitable. She felt horrid for doubting him, for thinking that Enoch of all people would be using her just to fool around a little to make himself feel better. She felt elated at the fact that he had been thinking the same thing, that he thought of her that way. The thoughts in her head were stacking up and she found herself loosing track of where she was and who she was with.

"Oh okay." Olive some how managed to say through the whirlwind of thoughts in her head.

Enoch nodded awkwardly as a slight smirk appeared on his face. "Nice chat." He murmured sarcastically.

Without really thinking about it, Olive pushed Enoch playfully in the side and he stumbled a little at the sudden force she had expelled. She half expected him to push her back but the moment he had steadied himself and moved back over to her, his hand crept towards hers and enclosed it, his fingers finding their way in-between hers after a little bit of awkward fumbling. It was still new to him, it was still new to both of them really, and even the most innocent thing such as holding her hand was like learning a new skill.

They walked down the beach a little longer before Enoch began to guide them slightly inland, climbing up the slight banks of the beach hand in hand. Olive had asked where they were going but she got no response, just a slight tightening of his grip on her hand asking her to trust him. It was only when she looked up from where she had been carefully watching her footing that she realised where he was going.

The caves.

They were infamous in the town for being the place where teenagers - in particular couples - hung out. The lighting was dim, it was somewhat private, and it had such a reputation that it thrilled her just thinking about it. Olive couldn't tell whether or not he had planned this, with Miss Peregrine now well aware of the change in their relationship it was evident that they couldn't just kiss each other anymore whenever they felt like it so hiding spots such as this would probably become a regular occurrence in the near future. That being said, she doubted that Enoch had planned their day so carefully that they would ended up down here but then again, she really had no clue what happened in that brain of his.

Enoch was smirking when he leant down to kiss her in the shelter of the slight cave, and she happily complied, excited to kiss him after the great day she was having. His lips were cold, as per usual, and there was a certain urgency about them which was a result of their surroundings. They were one of those couples now, one that snuck off to the beach to kiss each other, and the thought of that was exciting. She basked in the fact that she could do this with him, that she could call him her boyfriend and can kiss him whenever she felt like it.

While his hand holding skills needed a lot of development, his kissing certainly did not after having a considerable amount of practice with her over the last few weeks. She found herself getting lost, his kisses making her light headed, and she had to grasp onto the collar of the thick black coat of his just to stay upright. When he pulled away slightly she giggled and she watched as a slight smile flittered on his face as he started down at her through half closed eyes. It didn't take long for him to kiss her again with a lot more passion than before, his hands finding their way around her waist and under the pink cape that she wore just for appearances. It was exhilarating - why hadn't they gotten together sooner?

When one of her hands made it's way to his back to pull him closer to her he had responded with heavier kisses. When his hands gently moved slightly lower her breathing increased and made him chuckle slightly. When she felt his mouth part slightly and his tongue brush against her lips she couldn't help but smile.

The thought of returning back to camp didn't cross either of their minds for quite a while...


	28. Of Requests and Fisticuffs

Enoch knew he was close to loosing all control. He had felt it coming since the day he had found out about Victor and the feeling inside his chest had been growing ever since. It felt warm, it felt uncomfortable, and he knew it foreshadowed an upcoming disaster.

At first he had tried to ignore it, noting that whatever he was experiencing was nerves about the camp's wellbeing and nothing at all to do with his own emotions. But as the days went on he had begun feeling worse and Enoch knew he couldn't hide from it any longer. Initially he had wrote about it in the journal he was still pretending he didn't use, telling himself that he was probably grieving about Victor still and maybe a little bit too stressed than was healthy for him. He thought that if he wrote it down and addressed it then he could destroy it and move on but it didn't work. Then he moved on to worrying about Olive, helping her deal with her father to keep his mind off of what was really happening, treating her as a gentleman would and getting lost in her kisses like it would make him feel better. It had done for a while, his mind had been preoccupied yet the feeling was still there - a constant reminder that something wasn't quite right with him.

And then it happened.

As breakdowns go, Enoch was sure his could be described as pretty spectacular. The day before had been perfect, Olive hadn't left him, he'd taken her out, he'd kissed her until he had run out of energy, and he knew when he had gone to bed that night that it was too good to be true, something was going to happen - it always did.

They had decided to loop the next day as they had all agreed it wasn't fair for Olive to have to deal with her father everyday for the near future and as much as Enoch wanted to go into loop and start anew he knew it was for the best. Olive didn't deserve that, and an extra twenty four hours could be risked for her benefit. Therefore, it happened that it was only about an hour away from the moment Miss Peregrine was going to set the loop into action when it had all came flowing out of him.

It was after the show and he was quickly packing away the props used in the show when he realised he wasn't alone anymore. He had been feeling extra nervous all day, the prospect of finally going into loop had caught up with him so he was even more unimpressed with the idea of chitchat in that moment. Reluctantly he took one glance over his shoulder to revealed to him that Bronwyn was there, her eyes filled with tears and her face was red in anger. Olive had told him that she was at the bitter stage of grief when all she felt was discontent towards the world and he'd only seen glimpses of it until then. Enoch let out an annoyed sigh as he straightened himself up and turned to face her and confront whatever it was she wanted.

"Bring him back."

She sounded heartbroken, distraught, and created a feeling within him he presumed must be sympathy. All Enoch could do was stare back at her, unaware of what he should be doing in this situation. Comforting people was not his strong point and he hadn't really spoken a single word to Bronwyn the entire time that was anything more than a quiet greeting. There was a reason he had avoided her - he didn't think he could deal with her grief alongside his own and in that moment he found his theory becoming correct. He felt awkward, he felt uncomfortable, he felt angry.

"I-I can't do that." Enoch just about managed to force out, not for one moment taking his eyes away from the young girl standing in the doorway. He had actually thought about using his peculiarity on his friend when he was still lying dead above ground, he thought that maybe this time a miracle would happen, that suddenly his power was much stronger than it actual was and that he would come back for good. But Enoch was grown up now and he knew those childish dreams would not come true so he had avoided visiting Victor and stopped himself from feeling the disappointment when it wouldn't happen the way he would have wished it to.

Bronwyn stepped closer to him, the look in her eyes was a mixture of pure devastation and anger. If Enoch didn't know of her amazing peculiarity he wouldn't have felt intimidated by her in the slightest but he did do and had stepped back anxiously as she had moved closer.

"He'd do it for you." Bronwyn shook with anger, a new wave of tears spilt over into her cheeks. She was desperate.

Enoch tried to respond. He'd opened his lips to reply but nothing came out, all he could do was look at her hopelessly. All he could think of saying was his usual sarcastic replies but even someone as sour as he knew he couldn't say it.

Eventually he had to say something and he did, his eyes falling to the ground between them awkwardly. His reply was weak, not having the same confidence as he usually had, and he sounded vulnerable, clearly having been effected by Bronwyn's words more than he had thought he would. "I'm not digging up your brother."

"But-"

And then he snapped. He couldn't take it any longer, he couldn't think about Victor any longer, he couldn't entertain her foolish hopes anymore. "No 'but's Bronwyn, he's dead, even if I can bring him back it won't be the same, it doesn't work like that so don't even think about it. He's dead. There's no bringing him back."

Enoch didn't give Bronwyn time to continue her request any further, instead he had rushed out of the room, pushing her aside without much care as he desperately tried to leave. He needed to get out of there, he needed to get away from her, he needed to be alone.

The night was cold, it was raining and Enoch knew it was only a matter of time before Miss Peregrine would gather them all out there to set the loop into action. It didn't take him long to realise he was fleeing in the direction of Olive's caravan and he almost stopped himself when he did, remembering just who he was and how he didn't need to rely on the girl to get him through his problems. Yet he had continued moving, pushing the protests he was making about his own independence to the back of his mind as he made quick work of crossing the open space to where he knew Olive would be.

He wanted that comfort from her, he wanted to kiss her until he forgot his anger, he wanted to hid from himself a little longer but from the burning sensation he was feeling in his chest he knew that couldn't happen. His mind was breaking, he was loosing it, and no matter how much he did to try and stay afloat, it was inevitable that he would end up drowning.

"Enoch!"

He hadn't got very far to his destination when he had heard Hugh's voice coming out of the shadows behind him.

"What?"

Enoch rounded to face him, the expression on his face revealing just how angry he was feeling in that moment. There's was nothing he wanted more in that moment than Hugh to just disappear and leave him alone but somehow his utter distaste for the situation had not translated to Hugh who was walking over to him with his hands deep in his pockets without a care in the world. Out of all the people he could have ran into, Hugh was one of the last people he would have wished for. Ever since Victor had been confirmed dead the two of them had fallen apart, the usual respect they had for each other has turned into some sort of bitterness. They were angry at the world and somehow they had both decided to manifest it in riling each other up. Enoch still liked the boy, he was much more fond of him than the majority of people in the camp but at that period in time, they were far from being each other's favourite person.

Hugh came to a halt in front of him and stared up at him like a mouse squaring up against a lion. "Look mate, I know you and Olive are sort of a thing now and all and I just wanted to say that if you ever needed to talk about it with someone then you could."

Enoch felt shocked. Hugh had been slowly pushing his buttons the last week or so for reasons he presumed were due to Victor but he hadn't expected him to sink so low. The teasing he could deal with, the odd spiteful remark was okay but to hit Enoch where it would hurt the most did not.

"I know Victor used to be the one there for you but I just -"

"Wanted to replace him?" Enoch interjected, his hands balling into fists by his side as he watched Hugh try his hardest not to squirm under his gaze. There was not one inch of his body that thought Hugh was being genuine, he wanted an argument as much as Enoch wanted him to leave him alone and he wasn't going to stop there.

"No nothing of the sort." Hugh shook his head solemnly and he frowned, feigning his confusion of the situation. He knew what he was doing though and so did Enoch.

All thoughts of escaping Bronwyn and returning to Olive left his mind as Enoch inched towards the smaller guy. Hugh had been asking for a fight and Enoch was going to give him one. "Well it certainly sounds like it."

"Mate I'm offering you help, no need to be an arse about it." Hugh rolled his eyes and smirked at him which obviously drove Enoch mad. He knew very well what he was doing and it wasn't because he wanted to help him. There was a surge of anger throughout Enoch's body at seeing his smugness and Enoch had to press his fingernails into his palms even harder to keep himself from lashing out.

"Just shut it, no one wants to hear you yapping." Enoch growled back before moving away from him. He wanted to leave it at that, anymore and he knew it would escalate, anymore and he knew he would end up hitting him. But Hugh had other ideas and called out behind him the second he had turned his back.

"No I won't actually. I've just about had it with you're attitude. ...Victor's dead Enoch and you need to start getting over it. How Olive puts up with you I do not know, she must be mad to -"

Hugh didn't have a chance to say another word as Enoch's fist came into contact with the side of his face with a satisfying crack. Hugh's hand immediately flew up to where Enoch had hit him and the two of them just stared at each other for a moment in shock, daring the other to make the next move. They both wanted to let their anger out, Hugh had also been feeling a lot of pent up emotions at that time which had displayed itself in his constant need to try and rattle Enoch to get a rise out of him. They both wanted this fight.

And then it happened. Hugh's fist had collided with his stomach and knocked his breath out of him, causing Enoch to keel over for a second while he gathered just enough strength again to return the blow. It was scrappy, it was messy, and as fights went it wasn't that great. Hugh was crying, finally being able to let everything out, as he continued to punch Enoch. In the face, in the chest, anywhere he could get his hands on and Enoch had returned it just the same.

The two were causing a scene. Enoch couldn't pin point just who were around the two of them but he could hear the commotion they were making and he had paused for a moment knowing that this would get back to Olive only to receive a punch straight to the jaw that would have probably missed if he hadn't had stayed still. Enoch snapped back into action as Hugh ran into him and tackled him to the floor, pinning him down and taking a few swings at him that reminded Enoch of his father. That thought was all it did to make him break down completely, his eyes filling with tears as he raised his hands up to shield his head from Hugh's punches. It had hurt, it was making him dwell on memories he had tried to forget and all Enoch wanted to do in that moment was crawl up into a ball in his bed and cry. It was only when Hugh had begun to release his bees onto the boy that they were forced to stop but it wasn't because they had been forced apart (although he knew someone - probably Millard - had been attempting to).

Everyone had frozen around them and were looking somewhere behind them, a look of shock on their faces and Hugh, also sensing the shift in mood quickly looked up from his position on top of Enoch and brought all his bees back to him. It only took one glance up at his frightened friend to know what was up with him. Miss Peregrine.

"Boys, I do not condone this type of behaviour. The two of you will go to my tent right this instance and-"

Miss Peregrine was cut off short by the sudden, startled voice of Jacob.

"What on earth is that?!"


	29. Of Girls and Tears

"Emma? What's wrong are you alright?" Olive's eyebrows shot up in concern at the sight of her friend outside her door. When she had heard the rattle against the wood she had expected to see her grumpy dark haired necromancer standing there scowling at her but in his stead she had found her dear friend. Her eyes were furious, her face pulled into a frown that could rival Enoch's, and Olive couldn't help but tense a little at the sight of her raged filled friend.

"Jacob is leaving." Emma groaned out as she pushed past her and into the room, her shoes making the floorboards groan as she walked.

"What?"

"Yep. He says he can't stay here in loop with us, he says he has to see his family."

With a shocked exasperated sigh Olive closed the door and stood there for a moment with her hand on the handle, taking a second to prepare herself for what was to come. Emma had quite the temper, her rage could equal Mr Hyde's, and Olive wasn't sure she had the strength to listen to it without loosing her usual placid disposition. While she loved her friend and respected her dearly, Emma did have the habit when she was enraged of letting her tongue run wild and she said things which she would later regret.

"Well, if that's what he needs to do then he needs to do it. It's a shame though, I think even Enoch was beginning to warm up to him." Olive's voice was timid as she turned slowly to face her sulking friend.

Emma threw her arms down to her hips in a huff, her eyes wandering around her room in frustration. "Why does he need to go home, they will still be there if he decides to leave the loop later."

She was in a mood, it reminded her of a spoilt toddler, and all because Jacob wanted to leave them. It was true that the thought of their new friend leaving was sad, Olive herself was feeling a little down at hearing the news, but Emma was taking it to a new level.

"Who knows? I suppose he came over here to find out what happened to Abe and he should really get back to his family before he makes any big decisions...I wouldn't get too upset about it though Em, I have a good feeling that he will come back again."

"That's easy for you to say, you're the one whose boyfriend will live with her forever."

Then it clicked.

Emma wasn't upset because her friend was leaving, Emma was upset that someone she liked was. She couldn't believe how she had never realised...it was so obvious now that she had been told. All the secret conversations, all the times they were together, and Olive didn't for a minute think there was any truth to what she occasionally teased Emma about. It was a joke, it wasn't meant be be real but somehow it had come true without her even noticing.

"Are you and Jake a thing?" Olive blurted out before she had anymore time to debate the subject in her head.

"No...well, we're not not a thing." Emma sighed in relief, almost as if she was happy that someone else was aware of what was happening between them.

"Oh. I didn't know."

"Of course you didn't, you've been attached at the hip with Enoch."

Awkwardly Olive shifted her eyes to stare at Emma's thick lead shoes. She felt rotten, she felt guilty. What Emma had said was the truth, she was too preoccupied with Enoch to have noticed.

"I'm sorry." Olive numbered genuinely, recognising Emma's deep intake of breath at her words as she was already forgiven. Feeling a rush of bravery come across her, Olive looked up briefly only to find her friend smiling sweetly at her, the anger in her eyes fading away almost completely.

"Don't be, we both know you wouldn't change anything." She rolled her eyes jovially before walking over to Olive, her hand reaching out and giving her warm shoulder a reassuring squeeze but it didn't make her feel any better.

"I would. I said before that I'd try and make more time for you and I haven't. It's not fair."

She had made a promise and she had kept to it at first while her and Enoch were going through some difficulties but the second they had reconciled she had returned to her usual routine. The worst part was she didn't even realise it.

"Olive just drop it okay? I honestly don't mind that much I'm just being petty because someone else I fancy is leaving me." Emma giggled slightly and walked over to Olive's bed, hoping that the subject could be dropped so she could spend some quality time with her friend.

Finally Olive released the tension she didn't know she had been holding from her body. She had been a lousy friend but that was okay, everything was fine, there were no hard feelings.

"I'm still going to try though. You're my friend Emma, my best friend, and I'm going to start making you feel like it."

"As long as you don't talk about what goes on between you and Enoch because I've had enough emotional scaring to last me a lifetime..." Emma deliberately trailed off awkwardly making Olive laugh like the teenage girl she was. It was in moments like this when she felt normal which was precisely why she knew something was bound to happen to rectify the feeling and seconds later it did.

"EMMA! OLIVE!"

There was only one look shared between the two before they bounded out of there caravan without closing the door behind them. At first Olive couldn't tell what was wrong, it was too dark, but it was only when she saw the familiar sharpness of Miss Peregrine standing in the middle of the grounds, crossbow in one hand and a stopwatch in the other that she figured out what had happened. Then the bolt that seemingly was hovering mid air next to her confirmed it.

"What's happened?" She heard Emma ask next to her. Olive suspected that Emma had guessed like her but there was something so final and definite about hearing it aloud that would shatter any hopes the two had that they might be mistaken.

"We've been attacked. Not to worry, the matter has been dealt with but if you please...I'd like to set the loop going now as I cannot be certain there isn't anymore out there." Miss Peregrine replied without the slightest hint of worry in her voice which only frightened them more. There was something so unnerving about their guardian not showing her fear, it was almost as if her role as their guardian overpowered her out of necessity.

However, it was only when Olive caught a glimpse of what was happing behind Miss Peregrine that she began to feel the fear had been slowly creeping up on her. Enoch was on the floor, sitting up slumped with his head in his hands, Hugh beside him, and it was clear from even where she was standing that the two of them were covered in blood.

It only took Olive a second to rush over to him, not a care in the world about what anyone who was watching her was thinking. Enoch was hurt, some monster had come into their camp and attacked him, and the only thing she could think about was what she could do to help.

"Enoch! Are you okay? What happened?" Olive asked frantically the moment she reached him and dropped down to the ground next to him, pulling his hands away from his head so she could get a good look at him.

His eye would surely be black come the morning and there was a trickle of blood from his nose that ran down over patches of the already dry red substance hinting that it must have been much heavier earlier. Most worryingly though was the tears that were still falling from his narrowed eyes. He was traumatised.

Just before she was about to wrap her arms around him comfortingly, Horace reach out a hand and tapped her on the shoulder. He told her something she was far from expecting.

"They did it to each other."

\---

"Don't look at me like that." Enoch growled at her before taking another swig of the bottle of rum she had bought him for his birthday and cringed at the bitterness of the drink without a chaser.

"Sorry..."

She had been staring, judging him, watching as he wallowed in his own self pity without daring to do anything to comfort him. Earlier that night she would have but not now, not after she found out he had been fighting with Hugh, not after she had realised there was too much anger in his expression than was normal. Instead she had brought him back to his trailer under Miss Peregrine's command and watched as he began to drink himself into a stupor.

"If you want to say something Olive just spit it out. All this chickening out of saying things is getting on my nerves." He spat over at her across the room before laying down on his bed with a sigh.

"Sorry." She murmured sheepishly, her eyes not leaving him for one second. His face was back to normal again, all the blood was gone, and Olive marvelled at the magic that had occurred since they had looped. There was also an element of her vigil surrounding the fact she had never seen Enoch this way before - never before had he embodied the anger she knew existed in his body at all times so visually. He had been angry before in front of her, he had shouted at her, he had thrown things, but never had he been so possessed with his anger that it transformed him into a different person.

"Olive."

Her was glaring at her halfheartedly as she sat at his desk and Olive found herself feeling shocked at just how in tune with her he had become even in his current state. She had been holding her tongue and he knew it. There was so much she wanted to say, so much that she wanted to ask him yet she usually did not dare to speak up. But here he was asking her to speak her mind and Olive knew this was the best opportunity she had to finally question him about it. Besides, he probably wouldn't remember it anyway from the way he was drinking.

She uncrossed her arms, looked him straight in the eye before finally letting it out after almost an hour of watching him and thinking it. "Why did you start a fight with-"

"-he started it." Enoch interjected bitterly and took another sip from the bottle out of annoyance.

She chuckled slightly at his boyish pride before continuing. "Okay, why did you decide to fight him back."

"He was asking for it."

She barely heard him.

"Was he?"

"Yes! He's been trying to get one out of me for a while...and before you blab on about apologising, we already have." He narrowed his eyes at her once more out of annoyance and took another drink.

Olive had not been expecting that. She had wondered why two men that had just raised their fists could sit beside each other without any more squabbling but she had put it down to the hallow that had found its way into camp making them temporary forget their problems. No, they had apologised, they had made up their differences.

"What? Cat got ya tongue?" He slurred over at her, revealing just the slightest hint that the alcohol was beginning to go to his head.

"I just thought..."

"Yeah well, we were both taking frustrations out on each other and we've sorted it now, we're good." Enoch chuckled slightly, his eyes finally leaving her and wandering up to the ceiling above him.

"I didn't know."

"Course you didn't, you see the best in everyone." Enoch sounded sad, his voice dropping its previous harshness which prompted her to continue her questioning. His guard was down, she recognised this was the best chance she had if finally getting through to him.

"Why are you drinking?"

"'cause I'm thirsty." He slurred, a smirk appearing in his face out of pride for his comeback.

"You've been crying." Olive continued, hoping at least to get one decent answer out of him that night.

"I'll be fine."

But he wasn't going to be fine. She knew it and so did he. But Olive was beginning to realise that there wasn't much she could do about it, whatever was eating away at him, whatever demons he had, it was far from her reach. She wanted to tell him that it was alright to cry, that he wasn't being stupid or silly or pathetic, that feeling that way was normal, especially for teenagers but she couldn't. Instead all she could do was stay there with him.

Hesitantly Olive rose from her chair, kicking off her shoes in the process and tip toed slowly over to the bed. Enoch' eyes snapped towards her as she stood above him and he watched as she awkwardly debated her next move. Then her arm suddenly reached out towards him and nudged him at his side, prompting him to move over a little so she could move next to him. It didn't take him long to comply (which she was surprised he did) before she hopped into the bed next to him, laying her head down on his shoulder that was propped up by pillows. He didn't move to accommodate whatever cuddling she was trying to instigate, instead he lay stiff as a board but she knew from the slowing down of his breathing that he appreciated her being there and that was all that mattered.

If she couldn't talk to him, she'd be there for him, regardless of how much he stunk of rum.


	30. Of Breakfast and Breakthroughs

When Enoch awoke the next morning, groggy and with an impressive bed head, he was alone. Olive had been with him, that much he was certain, but the extent of her stay escaped him. He briefly remembered Olive being there in the early hours of the morning, he knew he saw her then but when she had left his trailer was a complete mystery to him. For all he knew she may have stayed the night, she may have left earlier that morning, she may have been caught by Miss Peregrine and a great talk-in-to may have been waiting for him the moment he set foot outside of his trailer. Enoch did not know when Olive left yet he found himself missing her like she had been gone from his room for days.

Last night she had helped a lot without even realising it. Never before had he needed someone just to be there, to be present, to keep him company and he found himself not hating the feeling. He should be pushing her away, that was in his nature, so the fact that he was considering pulling her in shocked the glum boy. Be it the copious amount of alcohol he had drunk the night before or his growing feelings for the girl, last night he was close to spilling everything to her - including some things he didn't even realise he was keeping secret. It wasn't like it was a big deal either which confused him even more, instead he wanted to let her know just to make conversation, it didn't feel like a dramatic revelation. Nonetheless he had held his tongue, noting what he was feeling in order to ponder about it the next day when he was considerably more sane.

With a groan, Enoch rolled out of bed realising he was still fully dressed and not even under his covers and stumbled over to the mirror - he had to attempt to do something about the mess that was his hair. He wasn't hung over per say, after all he still had the advantage of youth which helped him out dramatically, but he did feel woozy, almost as if he was still slightly drunk. He already could predict the judgemental look Olive would throw him the moment she saw him, she always did every time he did something a little out of line and as uncomfortable as it was, he didn't want to face it feeling and looking under the weather. After a quick change of clothes, a dramatic running of a comb through his hair, and a couple of splashes of water upon his face, Enoch took one last look in the mirror before emerging out of his darkened room.

It was light outside, too bright for his eyes to feel comfortable but after a couple of seconds of grimacing he managed to begin to make his way over to his usual work space. There was no point going to try and get some breakfast, it was much too late and any requests he might make to his guardian would raise her suspicions over just why he had missed the usual breakfast time. Maybe it was his grogginess or maybe it was the brightness of the spring sun but somehow Enoch found himself almost walking into a stressed looking Jacob only a few feet from where he had set foot from his room.

With a noise escaping his mouth that only could be described as mouse like, Jacob dropped the box he was holding as he flinched at Enoch's sudden presence. He stared up at him dumbfounded, his eyes flickered with the slight bit of fear that was always there whenever he laid eyes on the necromancer.

"Alright?" Enoch grumbled feeling the need to say something to overcome the awkwardness the moment presented. He had promised Olive that he'd lay off on Jacob just a little bit - well he promised that he'll try - so where he wanted to spit an insult to the startled boy he found himself being much more tolerant. Still, he wasn't going to be nice.

Jacob also noticed the change in Enoch's usual behaviour and his demeanour became more relaxed at the lack of meanness in the other boys words. It was only then when he remembered what had happened the night before and recalled the image of Enoch crying on the floor in front of everyone. Suddenly to Jacob it was like Enoch was no longer a rival - he was human.

But then Jacob remembered just who the person he was talking to normally was and realised that he had been starting a little too long to be polite. The scared look that Enoch was all too proud of being the source of appeared back on Jacob's face as he tried his best to force out a sentence.

"Oh, hey. Um- yeah."

Despite the sluggish attitude that Enoch had woken up with, he smirked slightly at the effect he was having on the boy. There was something so humorous about the boy that Enoch couldn't help but be amused at, no matter how much he despised him.

It was only when Jacob anxiously reach down to pick up the box he had embarrassingly dropped that Enoch noticed just exactly what he had been carrying - his only possessions. "Going somewhere?"

Once again Jacob looked startled that Enoch had even spoken to him but much to his credit he managed to reply. He was getting better, Enoch was losing his touch but there was nothing he could do about it - he had promised Olive and he was planning to stick to it.

"I'm going home. I-I felt like I needed to."

It dawned on Enoch that Olive had told him that the night before, she had mentioned it while she was cuddled up to him and making him feel incredibly uncomfortable by her closeness - too uncomfortable for him to realise what she was saying. Jacob was leaving because he needed to go see his family, Olive had told him. However Enoch found the timing of Jacob's sudden departure odd.

The night before he had saved them all. The night before he had finally discovered his peculiarity. The night before he had gained Enoch's trust. But he supposed if Jacob felt he needed to go then he should go. Enoch knew better than anyone that being in a place you didn't want to be made you miserable.

"Well, um - goodbye." Enoch murmured to the scared boy who had been looking at him expectedly. He finished his words with a sudden grimace from the dull pain in his right temple that he only just realised was there. Jacob, not having the peculiarity to read minds, must have assumed the grimace was towards him and his body tensed at the expression.

"Bye." Jacob whispered quickly, before rushing away from him without looking back.

Smirking once again at Jacob's timidness, Enoch set back off towards his destination and, as expected, the moment he stepped foot into the tent Olive was fussing over him.

"How are you feeling?" Olive asked with a concerned look upon her face. She had rose from her place at his desk where she had been waiting patiently for him to make an appearance and scurried over to him like he had been missing for days.

"Seriously?" Enoch rolled his eyes ungrateful for her concern. There was nothing he hated more than someone fretting over him, even someone whom he was beginning to enjoy the company of at all times regardless of his mood.

Olive's face fell into a scowl and Enoch couldn't help but think this was what Claire must be used to whenever she was misbehaving. "Don't be proud." She scolded him whilst lightly slapping his arm for his cheekiness.

After one long annoyed sigh Enoch's eyes met hers finally and he tried to reply as sincerely as possible to avoid further questioning. "I'm okay."

It wasn't that he didn't want to tell her everything, he was beginning to notice the comfortable feeling he had experienced talking to her the night before. But despite this feeling, Enoch was never going to tell her about his emotions, it was too sappy, too confusing - he never wanted to tell anyone. It was one thing to tell her what was effecting him or what was happening in his life and in his past but to him it was something else to talk about emotions. He thought it was stupid, unnecessary , and something that should be kept unspoken. Luckily for him, his reply sufficed and Olive appeared to have dropped her curiosity about what he was feeling.

"I saved you some breakfast," Olive spoke quietly while turning back and gesturing to the leftover bread and a cold couple of sausages on a plate that had been carefully placed on his desk. "I didn't know when you would wake up."

"Thank you." He was grateful, truly. The look of that food was the most attractive thing ever to him in his current state.

"You look rough."

Olive bit her lip nervously as she held back the grin that was forcing her way onto her face. Her eyes fluttered towards him to gage his reaction but she saw little signs there about how he was really thinking. She knew he wasn't angry, even Enoch couldn't hide that, but whether or not he appreciated her jokes she had no idea.

But Enoch knew just what she was thinking and he didn't appreciate it, not right then anyway. He wasn't in the mood. "Well, thanks." He replied in a surly tone.

"I didn't mean it like that." Olive deflated and that look of sympathy he was learning to hate appeared. Instantly he felt bad, the look always did that to him and Enoch felt his features softening before he had time to consider it.

"I know."

"I wish I could do something, Enoch. I can't just sit here and let you go through this without helping." She spoke quietly as she watched him take his rightful seat at his desk and begin to play with the food she had brought him.

"I'm fine, seriously." Enoch groaned at Olive's motherly attentions towards him. As much as he felt love towards to her, in that moment he felt like pushing her away. But he shouldn't, he wouldn't, and that was how he knew he had changed.

"No you're not. I know it and so do you." Enoch knew she was just stating the obvious.

Her hand came to his shoulder and her touch had a much more positive effect on him than it had done the night before. It was comforting, it was nice, it was warm, and it reminded him of how he felt the need to be honest with her now.

He took a moment to compose his thoughts as he took a bite from the breakfast.

"I don't know why I feel the way I do, I just do. You can't help me."

It was somewhat true. He didn't think she could help him, not in the way she wanted to anyway. But he did know what was wrong with him, well not completely, he only had ideas.

"But you've only got like this in the last month or so - something must have triggered it."

He remembered somewhere that Olive had said her father was a psychiatrist and it was evident that she had picked up some of his traits. She was correct though, as per usual.

"Don't know." He lied. Not really feeling the moment was appropriate to start being honest any more. He knew he wanted to tell her, but not like this, not when it felt forced.

"Fair enough - If you do ever need anyone -"

"Yeah, Olive, I got it." He snapped at her, annoyed at the same words being repeated to him again. He almost knew it off by heart.

Almost as if she was defeated, Olive began to move onto the desk some of the stuff to make his creations and tried to go on with the day as if it was normal. But he knew that it was all she could think about.

And then the perfect opportunity happened and Enoch found himself revealing just a little bit about his past that he hadn't shared with anyone.

The meeting with her father that morning had not gone the same as the one before. It had been awful, he had been mean, she had said things she regretted. The moment her mind had wandered from thoughts of his problems to her own she had let it all out in a vengeful rage and then it just happened.

"I hate my parents too."

There it was. It happened.

"How come?"

She was quick to catch on. Like a dog to a bone she had come closer to him to ensure she heard every word. Her eyes were wild with intrigue. And all Enoch wanted to do was continue.

"They hated me."

It felt good. It felt cathartic. He gave her a second to respond but she didn't.

"That's why I didn't go," He said while finishing the last bite of his food. "I know you were thinking it. She hated me and I hated her." She had been wondering why he hadn't gone to his own mother's funeral for a while now.

Without missing a beat, Olive had grasped his face between her hands, turned her face to see her and planted a kiss on his lips with a smile upon her lips. It wasn't the best of timing, her romantic gesture did come immediately after he told her about his awful relationship with his mother but Enoch still felt the love behind it. It was nice, it was natural, and the dull ache from his head was completely lost in the moment.


	31. Of Birthdays and Betrayals?

Olive Elephanta was completely scarlet. Embarrassed was a word that didn't cover her feelings, she was mortified, flustered and felt like burying herself in the ground and staying there until everyone had forgotten about her. Sat in front of her with lips pursed and an expression upon her face that indicated she didn't wish to be there either was a stern looking Miss Peregrine.

It was going to happen. She knew it would be soon the moment that Miss Peregrine had caught the two of them kissing only a few days ago. As soon as she saw Enoch's sour face when she left her father's company was enough to tell what was coming and that he had been just been through it and hated it. But she didn't think it would have been on her birthday of all days. Olive supposed she should feel grateful that Miss Peregrine had given her this chat alone with no one else to over hear but after an extremely awkward daily chat with her father, she just wasn't prepared for it. It wasn't like she didn't already know what she was being told either, she was well read and had not grown up in a household where that was kept a secret from her.

On the table in front of her sat a book - Miss Peregrine's birthday present to her - which she had seen before in her father's study. There was no question about the book's content following their previous conversation and Olive did not want to find out any further. It was her plan to gratefully accept the gift she had been given and leave it unopened in her trailer until it mysteriously disappeared. Had it been from anyone else she may have peaked at the pages but the fact that it had been given by her guardian, and one as strict as Miss Peregrine, was enough to deter her completely.

With a small, embarrassed smile, Olive grasped the book from the table and left the room without a second to think about continuing on the conversation. It felt like everyone knew what had just happened - everyone's eyes were on her, but it was only when she remembered what the day was that all her suspicions were quelled. It was her birthday (well it would have been if they hadn't had gone into loop) so it was only natural that all attentions would be on her that day and then on top of that fact she was carrying two obviously birthday presents already. But that still didn't deter her from the knowledge that she was holding something that she didn't really want to be found with and the quicker she could get out of eyeshot the better.

After what felt like a million years she reached her trailer and threw the book into it without much thought like it was a hot potato and closed the door behind her with a thud. While the logistics of looping were not well known to Olive, a large part of her hoped that the book would have disappeared when the loop reset later that day. With the offending item out of the way, Olive gracefully perched on the step leading to the door with a sigh and pulled onto her lap the carefully wrapped present that her father had given her every day and will be doing (or attempting to dependent on what happened that day) every day until the loop was closed. She had yet to open it yet, after all it hadn't been her birthday yet and Olive always was one to do things properly, and she felt that the time was as good as any to finally reveal its contents at least to get her mind off of what just occurred.

Carefully Olive began to unwrap the shiny blue bow from the top of box anxious to figure out just what her father had bought her. She had never expected to get a present from him, especially after how she had parted ways with him, so just what was inside was a complete mystery to her. However, as with any moment in such a close group of people, it wasn't long before her actions were interrupted.

"I'm going into town for a little while." The distinctive accent of Enoch's rumbled through the air and drew her interests instantly away from her present. Her eyes shot up to look at him as her heart began to race as per usual especially at the thought of what Miss Peregrine had talked to her about just minutes before. She wanted to blush, she wanted to kiss him, she wanted to ask him a million questions about just what Miss Peregrine had talked to him about earlier too.

"Oh okay," Olive mumbled nervously and watched as a frowning Enoch pulled on his long black coat and popped the collar without knowing how attractive she found it. "Would you like me to come with you?"

"You can't." He barked back and without another word he walked off and left her behind.

Anyone else would find his tone aggressive and off putting but Olive knew him better than that. A small smile appeared across her face at the thought of just why she was not allowed to follow him into town. Usually she would not jump to conclusions where Enoch was concerned but it was hard not to. It was her birthday, he must have known that (he _definitely_ knew about since even if he had forgotten Miss Peregrine had said it in front of him at breakfast) so it was obvious just what he was doing without her.

Almost as if they had previously discussed it, Emma came bundling over to her with a wide smile on her face the moment Enoch left leaving Olive's present once again forgotten. It was nice to see Emma smiling. Jake's sudden departure the day before had left her looking a little lost and downtrodden so the prospect of celebrating a birthday must have been a welcome distraction for her.

"Come on!" Emma called over to her and threw the purple cape that Olive occasionally wore to not raise suspicions regarding her abnormal body heat.

Behind her trailed an apprehensive looking Fiona, battling with her own brown coat as she looked down at the ground. Fiona never did like leaving their campsite, she was always one who didn't feel comfortable amongst the general public, and the fact that she was willing to do so just for her birthday made Olive feel appreciated.

Gently placing her father's present to the side, Olive began to pull on the cape that had landed on her. "Where are we going?"

"Town of course! It's your birthday and us girls need to celebrate!" Emma began to tug on her arm as soon as the cape had been fastened and before long the three of them begun to make their way into town arm in arm.

\------

The day had been good so far, they had lunch at a quiet cafe in town and after an hour or so of browsing the local boutiques the three of them had taken to watching the tide slowly retreat away from the coast line. It didn't take long in the comfort of each other's company for the girl's conversation to move their attentions onto the one topic they were all dying to talk about - just what exactly Olive was talking to Miss Peregrine about earlier that day. Emma had guessed it without any hints, she too had received a similar conversation when Abe had been still with them. Fiona stayed mute on the subject as per usual but her enthusiasm for answers was shown very clearly in her body language and from the sly look upon her face, Olive also suspected she had received the same conversation also.

There was rules. Olive knew thew were coming, Emma had mentioned to her the rules her and Abe had been given when she had just started getting involved with Enoch. Emma also mentioned how easy it was to break those rules which made Olive giddy at the thought. There was to be no sleepovers, innocent or not, between the two of them. No overly passionate public displays of affections. No dates outside of the camp without permission. The rules, while low in number, made Olive feel excited. She was in a position where someone deemed it necessarily to limit her actions, she was now one of the girls she had only read about in her books. It was new, it was great, and it only encouraged her to seek to break the rules.

"Wait, so Miss Peregrine is letting you be alone together? I was never allowed that!" Emma's hands dropped to her thighs in annoyance as she sunk further back onto the bench.

Olive had never thought that the rules she was given were any different to the ones her friends had previously had. But after recalling the rules again in her head Olive was certain there was nothing said that forbid her from spending time alone with Enoch other than at night. Maybe their guardian had forgotten to mention that rule or maybe it just didn't exist for her at all?

"It's probably because we have to work together and such." Olive didn't sound confident in her words and made a mental note to ask Enoch when she saw him later on about what rules he had been told.

"Hmmm." Emma sighed and slung her arm around Fiona next to her in a bid to encourage her to take part in the conversation. "It's still unfair. What about you Fi? What rules did Miss P gave you?"

But just before Fiona had a chance to say something for the first time that day, Emma interrupted her and all chances of the conversation continuing was quickly destroyed.

"Is that Enoch?"

Her head was turned towards the area just behind Fiona which reveal a small part of the Main Street of the town. From her position next to her, Olive couldn't see just who she was referring to but just the mention of his name was enough to get her heart racing.

Enoch was out in town, probably to buy her a birthday present, and Olive couldn't help but smile. "It could be, he did say he was coming out. I wasn't allowed to go with him so I'm hopeful he is-"

"-he's with a girl." Emma said suddenly, kneeling up on the bench and turning away from them to get a good look at what was happening.  From her expression, Emma looked more curious than worried but it did little to stop the feeling of dread creeping up into Olive's mind.

If it was anyone other than Enoch Olive wouldn't have questioned just what they were up to. But Enoch hated people, and the slight chance that he would have met up with someone other than herself was enough to horrify her. It was true that she trusted Enoch. At times he could be mean, at times he could reduce her to tears, but Olive never for one moment thought that Enoch would pursue someone else other than her, not even out of spite. However, hearing what Emma was saying had spun her head into a whirlwind of questions. On one hand she trusted Enoch and his anti-social nature, but on the other she was hearing that he was with another girl, and to add to her doubts he had been so adamant that she couldn't come with him today.

"What?" Olive swallowed, hoping to god that she wouldn't hate what she would see.

Without further ado, Olive raise up out of her seat a little to look behind them towards the main street of the town behind them. Sure enough Enoch was there, rushing down the street, a frown upon his face, with his hands deep in his pockets. And there, only a step behind him, was a girl desperately trying to keep up with him. She knew who it was instantly. She had stared at her for the good portion of an afternoon less than a week previously and, in that moment, her hate towards the girl tripled. It was the same girl who had been eyeing up Enoch the entire time they were at the tearoom in town only a few days ago.

Glancing over at Olive, it dawned on Emma just what might have been going through Olive's head and took it upon herself to help comfort her friend. "I'm sure it's nothing. If anything Enoch looked like he couldn't shake her off."

Fiona next to her nodded her head in agreement and Olive only felt slightly better about the situation. It did look like he was attempting to get away from the girl, and his face wasn't exactly suggesting he was all too happy about the situation. But still, there was something that she felt wasn't quite right about the situation, she knew in her gut that something was wrong. She suppose some people would think Enoch acted that way either too.

"It's fine. Okay." Emma nudged Olive with her shoulder as she sat back down on the bench and drew her attention away from Enoch.  "Don't worry about it. Okay...let's talk about Jake. That way I'll be the most uncomfortable one here."


End file.
